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HIISTOI^'Z" 


—  OF  — 


KENDALL  COUNTY 


iLijiisrois, 


PROM   THE 


Eai'liest  Discoveries  to  the  Present  Time, 


—  BT  — 


REV.  E.  W.  HICKS. 

Author  of  "  Life  of  Jesus,  for  Young  People." 


-♦♦♦- 


AURORA,  ILL. : 

Knickbrbocker  &  HoDDER,  Steam  Printers  and  Blank  Book  Makers, 

Nos.  24,  26  k  28  Broadway, 

1877. 


DEDICATION. 


To  the  children  and  grandchildren  of  our  pioneers  this  book  is 
respectfully  dedicated.  Forgetting  their  faults,  may  they  remember 
their  heroism,  copy  their  hospitality,  and  practice  their  virtues,  is  the 
heartfelt  prayer  of  The  Author. 


H5^ 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I— The  Mound  Builders.— Geologic  ages.  Terrace  epoch.  Wild 
animals.     Kendall  county  mounds.    Ancient  pottery.     An  extinct  race. 

CHAPTER  II — Indians  and  French  Missionaries. — Origin  of  the  Indians. 
Pottawatomies.     First  missionaries.     The  Mississippi.     Marquette. 

CHAPTER  III — Explorations  of  LaSalle. — Exploring  Illinois.  Troubles. 
Starved  Rock.     Tonti.     Lonely  travels.     Death  of  LaSalle. 

CHAPTER  IV — Trade  and  War. — Monopolies.  The  seven  years'  war.  Pon- 
tiac.  The  Starved  Rock  tragedy.  Buffaloes.  North-west  territory.  Indian 
territory.    Tecumseh.    Illinois. 

CHAPTER  V — Early  Settlements. — Galena  mines.  Illinois  in  1823.  Chicago. 
Indian  Boundary  Line.  Jesse  Walker.  Fox  River  Mission.  Vermillion  county. 
Two  Quotations.     Mark  Beaubien. 

CHAPTER  VI — Holderman's  Grove. — Robert  Beresford.  Seminary  land. 
Landscapes.  Reuben  Reed.  Vetal  Vermel.  Prairie  Du  Chien  treaty.  Res- 
ervations. 

CHAPTER  VII — Indians,  Groves  and  Prairies. — Waubonsie.  Gnarled  oaks. 
Origin  of  the  prairies.  Sweet  and  Specie.  Bailey  Hobson.  LaSalle  county. 
Spring  election. 

CHAPTER  VIII — Our  Earlier  Pioneers. — Earl  Adams  and  Ebenezer  Morgan. 
George  and  Clark  Hollenback.  William  Harris  and  Ezra  Ackley.  Daniel 
Kellogg.     Moses  Booth. 

CHAPTER  IX— The  Shadow  of  War.— E.  G.  Ament.  George  HavenhiU. 
Abram  Holderman.  Pierce  Hawley.  John  Dougherty.  Walter  Selvey.  The 
Cherokee  lottery. 

CHAPTER  X — The  First  Bloodshed. — Shabbona.  Indian  councils.  Still- 
man's  Run.     Fox  river  council.     The  fatal  blow. 

CHAPTER  XI — The  Flight. — The  warning.  Scalps  and  spoil.  A  good  Provi- 
dence. "A  carousal      A  narrow  escape. 

CHAPTER  XII— Ansel  Reed's  Story.— Busy  at  work.  The  first  alarm.  A 
hurried  flight.  Concealed  in  the  thicket.  On  to  the  fort.  Rescuing  his  deliv- 
erer. 

CHAPTER  XIII— More  Bloodshed.— Mike  Gurty.  Indian  creek.  The  Mas- 
sacre.    Death  of  Adam  Payne.     Vermel's  story. 

CHAPTER  XIV— The  War  Ended  —Peter  Miller.  John  Schneider.  Chicago 
fort.  Cholera.  The  Hall  girls.  Death  of  Black  Hawk.  Deathof  Mike  Gurty. 
First  settlers  at  Oswego.    Old  settlers  returning. 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XV— The  Year  of  the  Early  Spring— Early  emigration.  Be- 
ginning of  Newark.  The  Aments.  Beginning  of  Yorkville.  Compulsory  tem- 
perance.    Beginning  of  Bristol.     Lyman  and  Burr  Bristol.     Daniel  Pearce. 

CHAPTER  XVI— S.  G.  Minkler's  Story.— Lost.  Fording.  Death  of  Mrs, 
M inkier.     Hard  times. 

CHAPTER  XVII— Township  Pioneers.— David  Evans.  John  Darnell.  Hugh 
Walker.     Chester  House.     John  ShurtlifF.     Daniel  Piatt.     Stage  route. 

CHAPTER  XVIII— The  Old  Trappers.— Indians.  Pioneers  and  keel  boat 
men.     Falling  of  the  stars.     Settlers  in  Fox.     Settlers  in  Big  Grove. 

CHAPTER  XIX — Claim  Furrows. — Schneider's  mill.  Waubonsie's  spree.  Os- 
wego.    Newark.     Millington. 

CHAPTER  XX— The  Governor's  Party.— The  Southern  heart.  William  Mul- 
kev.     Gov.  Matteson.     First  schoolhouse. 

CHAPTER  XXI — The  Pledge  and  the  Covenant. — Old  temperance  pledge. 

First  Sunday  School.     Old  log  church.     Pavilion  Baptist  Church.    Rev.  A.  B. 

Freeman.     Early  Methodism. 
CHAPTER    XXII— Speculation   and    Business.— The   Ship   of  State.      First 

house   in   Lisbon.     Seward   schoolhouse.     Fox.     Little   Rock.     Mrs.    Duryea. 

Death  of  Peter  Specie. 

CHAPTER  XXIII— Treaties  and  Wolf  Hunts.— Bristol.  Oswego.  Indian 
signatures.     Hudson.     Na-au-say.     War  dance.     Wolves.     An  astonished  ox. 

CHAPTER  XXIV— The  Year  of  Corner  Lots.— Inflation.  Indian  encamp- 
ment.    Big  Grove.     Plattville.     Jesse  Jackson.     Little  Rock. 

CHAPTER  XXV  —  Crowding  into  the  Wilderness. — Yorkville  laid  out. 
Bristol.     Oswego.     Mrs.  Young.     Seward.     Kane  county.     Poem.     Education. 

CHAPTER  XXVI— The  Year  of  the  Panic— Mrs.  Preston.  Newark.  Hol- 
lenback  school.  New  settlers.  Buried  in  a  well.  Preaching  "  at  early  candle- 
light." 

CHAPTER  XXVII — Departure  of  the  Indians  —Lisbon  school.  Millbrook. 
Moving  the  Indians.     Oswego  postoffice.    Bristol  school.    The  royal  monogram. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII — Emigration  at  Low  Tide. — Lisbon  and  Millington  laid 
out.     Millington  church.     A  trip  by  schooner.     Fourth  of  July.     First  Survey. 

CHAPTER  XXIX— A  Change  for  the  Better.— Dr.  Brady.  Marcus  Steward. 
Hiddleson  school.  A  jury  trial.  Plattville  school.  Lisbon  Congregational 
Church.     A  retrospect. 

CHAPTER  XXX— The  Land  Sale. — Newark.  Misner's  plows.  Oswego.  Bris- 
tol.    The  "  Wolf"  tavern.     How  farms  were  bought. 

CHAPTER  XXXI— The  Underground  Railway.— Settlers  and  topics  of  1840. 
Debt  and  poverty.  "  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler,  too  1"  An  exciting  Fourth. 
Abolitionism.     Dr.  Dyer. 

CHAPTER  XXXII— Our  County's  Birth.— Oswego  school.  Piano  cemetery. 
Stebbins'  school.  Indian  cemetery  opened.  Birth  of  Kendall  county.  First 
officers.     Horatio  Fowler.     Long  Grove  school. 


CONTENTS.  VII 

CHAPTER  XXXIII— Dark  Days.— The  old  store  book.  Accumulated  misfor- 
tunes.    Land  sale  of  1842.     Pioneer  experiences. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV— Claim  Fights.— New  settlers.  Newark  Congregational 
Church.  Newark  and  Millington  cemetery.  Schools  :  Millington,  Boomer, 
Albee.     Claim  fight.     Miller  excitement.     Ryder  murder  case. 

CHAPTER  XXXV— The  Slave  Auction. — Wet  season.  Academies.  Newark 
Baptist  Church.  Schools  :  Shouts',  Suydam,  Marysville.  Albee's  cemetery. 
Negro  sale. 

CHAPTER  XXXVI— The  County  Seat.— Settlers  and  improvements.  Pearce's 
cemetery.  Doud's  cemetery.  Schools  :  Holderinan's,  Davis'.  McCormick 
reaper.     More  fugitives.     Negro  laws.     County  seat  election. 

CHAPTER  XXXVII— The  Mexican  War.— Oswego  Congregational  Church. 
Union  and  Millbrook  schools.  Oswego  cemetery.  Captain  Dodge's  Company. 
Captain  Fullerton's  Company.  Telegraph.  Local  excitement.  Oswego  brew- 
ery.   Norwegian  settlement.     Schools  :  Minkler,  Asburj',  Bronk,  Scofield. 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII — Schools  and  Churches. — Country  towns.  Travel. 
Lisbon.  Oswego  Baptist  Church.  Schools  :  Foster,  Austin,  Atherton,  Ware. 
Bristol  Baptist  Church.  County  officers.  Broom  factory.  Lutheran  cemetery. 
Schools  :   Plattville,  Chapman.     Bronk  cemetery. 

CHAPTER  XXXIX — Townships  and  Railroads.— Supervisors.  Naming 
townships.  Union  cemetery.  Union  stores.  Brown  school.  Union  Presby- 
terian Church.  Pieshur's  reapers.  Cold  weather.  New  railroads.  Johnson 
school.     Parochial  schools. 

CHAPTER  XL— New  Towns.— Oswego  Station.  Bristol  Station.  Piano.  Cholera. 
Morris  flats.  Churches  :  Oswego  Presbyterian,  Oswego  Lutheran,  Newark 
Methodist,  Bristol  Congregational.  Schools  :  VVhitlock,  Newark,  Yorkville, 
Piano,  Pletcher,  Naden,  Seward  Centre,  Grove,  Fowler  Institute.  Agricultural 
Society.  Protective  Association.  Little  Rock  Press.  Little  Rock  cemetery. 
Ottawa  road.     Paper  mills. 

CHAPTER  XLI — The  Flood  and  the  Panic— Oswego  Courier.  Newark 
saw  mill.  Schools  :  Lisbon  Center,  Sleezer,  Lewis,  Shepard,  Henderson. 
Markets.  Flood  of  1857.  Panic  of  1857.  New  enterprises.  Post's  mills. 
Blackberry  mills.  Churches  :  Plattville,  Piano  Methodist,  Millbrook,  Milling- 
ton, North  Lutheran,  Lisbon  Baptist.  Schools  :  Pearce,  Walker,  Scott,  Van 
Cleve,  Serrine,  Becker.     Revivals. 

CHAPTER  XLII— The  Plano  Harvesters.— Railroad  enterprises.  Post's 
bridge.  Shabbona's  death.  Crops.  Marsh  Brothers.  Harvester  Works. 
Messenger's  "  gopher."  Murders.  Schools  :  Faxon,  Bristol  Station,  Windett, 
Booth,  Worsley,  Greenfield,  District  No.  5,  Oswego.  Churches  :  Yorkville, 
Fairview.     Bristol  Station  cemetery.     Latter  Day  Saints. 

CHAPTER  XLIII— The  First  Gun  !— Hurrying  to  the  front.  Captain  Carr's 
Company.  Tenth  Regiment.  Seventh  Regiment.  First  enlistments.  Thir- 
teenth Regiment.  Twentieth  Regiment.  Thirty-sixth  Regiment.  Fourth 
Cavalry. ^Fifteenth  Cavalry. 


VIII  CONTENTS, 

CHAPTER  XLIV — Deeper  Struggles. — Eighty-ninth.  Ninety-first.  One 
Hundred  and  Fourth.  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh.  Draft  riots.  Boun- 
ties. One  Hundred  Day  Regiments.  Close  of  the  war.  Home !  Soldiers 
Aid  Societies. 

CHAPTER  XLV— Our  War  Record  for  i86i.— Oswego,  Bristol,  Kendall, 
Fox,  227  names. 

CHAPTER  XLVI— Our  War  Record  for  1861,  coNxiNUED.—Big  Grove,  Lis- 
bon, Little  Rock,  Na-au-say,  Seward,  308  names. 

CHAPTER  XLVn— Our  War  Record  for  1862.— Kendall,  Oswego,  Lisbon, 
237  names. 

CHAPTER  XLVin— Our  War  Record  for  1862,  continued.— Big  Grove, 
Bristol,  Fox^  Little  Rock,  Na-au-say,  Seward,  218  names. 

CHAPTER  XLIX— Our  War  Record  for  1863-5.— 1863 :  Oswego,  Big  Grove, 
Bristol.  1864  :  Big  Grove,  Fox,  Kendall,  Bristol,  Oswego,  Seward,  Lisbon, 
Na-au-say,  Little  Rock.  1865  :  Kendall,  Fox,  Big  Grove,  Lisbon,  Bristol,  Na- 
au-say      Last  company,  261  names. 

CHAPTER  L — Accidents  and  Improvements. — Tanneries.  -Fires.  Black 
Hawk's  cave.  Survey  of  Fox  river.  Book  of  Mormon  published.  Harvey 
school.     Chapman  cemetery.     Flood.    Accidents.     Woolen  factory. 

CHAPTER  LI — The  Mill  and  Canal. — Railroad  bonds.  Cattle  disease.  Cat- 
tle panic.  Prohibition.  Woman's  Suffrage.  Accidents.  Heap  school.  First 
cars.     Kendall  county  Geology.     Post's  dam.     Wing's  mill.     Millington  canal. 

CHAPTER  LII — New  Enterprises. — Papers.  Piatt's  wells.  Manslaughter. 
Young  school.  Murder.  Grangers.  N.  S.  Grimwood.  Horse  Association. 
Churches  :  Little  Rock  Union,  Piano  Baptist.  Seward  town  house.  Piano  boot 
and  shoe  factory.     Narrow  Guage  Railroad. 

CHAPTER  LIII— Our  Natural  Possessions. — Pure  water.  Magnetic  springs. 
Sulphur  springs.  Soils.  Peat.  Sand.  Moulding  sand.  White  sand.  Limestone. 
Brick  clay.     Potter's  clay.     Wood. 

CHAPTER  LIV — Kendall  County  Inventions. — Plows.  Cultivators.  Har- 
rows. Reapers.  Headers.  Harvesters.  Binders.  Horse  rakes.  Ditcher  and 
Scrapers.  Wire  fence.  Stoves.  Stereoscopes.  Sewing  and  Knitting  machines. 
Water  wheels.  Transportation  conveyor.  Store  furniture.  Railroad  improve- 
ments.    Miscellaneous  inventions.     Publications. 

CHAPTER  LV — Our  Neighbors. — Ox  family.  Deer  family.  Bear  family.  Dog 
family.  Weasel  family.  Squirrel  family.  Rat  and  mouse  family.  Mole  fam- 
ily. Birds.  Birds  of  prey.  Climbers.  Perchers.  Scratchers.  Waders.  Swim- 
mers,    il^eptiles.     Snakes.     Fishes.     Insects. 

CHAPTER  LVI— Our  Plant  Life.— Trees.  Shrubs.  Wood  plants.  Marsh 
plants.     Prairie  flowers.     Grasses.     Flowerless  plants. 

CHAPTER  LVII — Farewell! — Four  stages  of  local  histor>'.  A  higher  sphere. 
Development  of  mind.     Satan's  traps.     True  science.     A  wider  life.     Farewell. 


CHAPTER  1. 


THE      MOUND      BUILDERS. 


ONG  AGES  ago  Kendall  county  was 
the  southeastern  corner  of  barren  rock, 
Sv  which  reached  up  to,  and  beyond  the 
northern  end  of  the  State.  Chicago 
on  one  side  was  under  water,  and  Mor- 
ris and  Streator  on  the  other,  with  the 
southern  part  of  the  State,  were  part 
of  a  vast  swamp  where  evergreens  and  rushes  grew  and 
were  made  into  coal.  That  was  the  mediaeval  time  in 
the  world's  physical  history.  Before  that,  when  the  sea 
covered  all  the  country,  there  were  in  the  water  shoals 
of  curious  little  fellows  which  geologists  have  called 
Tentaculites  Oswegoensi,  viz. :  the  Oswego  sort  of  ten- 
taculites,  or  shell  worms.  This  sort  have  been  found 
nowhere  but  in  the  Oswego  rocks,  near  the  mouth  of 
Waubonsie  creek.  Then  after  fourteen  or  fifteen  geo- 
logical epochs  came  the 

TERRACE    EPOCH, 

or  the  ages  during  which  the  land  was  raised  and  rivers 
cut  new  channels  below  the  old.  As  a  consequence 
nearly  all  rivers,  lakes,  and  even  the  sea  itself,  in  many 

2 


10  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

places,  have  two  sets  of  banks,  one  confining  the  present 
stream  or  lake,  and  the  other  bounding  the  flood  plain 
into  which  the  water  rises  during  freshets.  The  upper 
banks  are  often  very  wide  apart.  Those  of  the  Fox 
river  below  Oswego  are  more  than  a  mile,  and  farms  are 
now  laid  out  and  a  railroad  runs  over  what  ages  ago  was 
the  river  bed.  It  was  shallow,  however,  as  were  all 
streams  not  confined  by  rocky  banks.  They  probably 
amounted  to  but  little  more  than  continuous  swamps, 
making  the  country  very  unhealthy  for  human  beings. 

The  table  lands  between  the  rivers  were  swampy  in 
proportion,  and  in  Northern  Illinois  especially,  or  that 
part  of  it  south  and  west  of  the  lake,  there  was,  per- 
haps, but  a  small  amount  of  really  dry  land. 

Kendall  county  was  half  under  shallow  water;  the 
temperature  somewhat  w^armer  than  at  present,  and  the 
long  sedge  grass  growing  out  of  the  marshes  alternated 
with  the  groves  growing  on  the  ridges  between. 

At  some  time  during  this  period  Lake  Michigan  had 
an  outlet  by  the  Illinois  river  to  the  Mississippi,  and  so 
to  the  Gulf,  and  a  large  part  of  Cook  county  and  per- 
haps of  some  others  were  under  the  lake.  It  is  not 
likely  that  all  the  lakes  flowed  this  way,  for  some  of  them 
at  least  have  been  flowing  through  Niagara  a  great  deal 
longer  than  that.  There  may  have  once  been  a  ''divide" 
midway  between  the  east  and  the  west,  which  was  after- 
wards  broken  through.  Col.  Long,  a  well-known  gov- 
ernment surveyor,  believed  that  he  had  located  this 
ancient  divide  near  Detroit. 

WILD    ANIMALS, 

except  such  as  loved  water,  were  not  plenty  in  this  part 


A    FEW    SPECULATIONS.  11 

of  the  State  in  those  days — compared  with  other  parts. 
Wolves,  bears,  coons,  and  bisons,  inhabited  the  upland, 
and  gigantic  beavers  worked  along  the  streams,  while 
the  huge  mastodons,  the  largest  animals  that  ever  trod 
the  earth,  haunted  the  marshes  and  slou<zhs  and  the 
groves  that  bordered  upon  them.  It  is  curious  that  the 
remains  of  mastodons  are  always  found  in  marshy  places 
to-day,  showing  that  the  lay  of  the  land  is  the  same  now 
as  then,  and  that  these  animals  have  not  been  extinct 
long  enough  for  wet  places  to  become  dry.  Farther 
south  enormous  horses  galloped  over  the  prairies,  and 
mammoth,  hairy  elephants  wandered  in  droves  through 
the  woods. 

In  regard  to  the  ancient  inhabitants  we  can  only  offer 
conjectures.  Some — as  George  Bancroft,  the  historian — 
believe  that  the  mysterious  mounds  and  earth-works  were 
formed  by  nature  and  belong  to  geology,  rather  than  to 
history.  But  it  is  most  generally  believed  that  they  are 
the  work  of  a  people  who,  for  want  of  a  better  name,  are 
called 

MOUND-BUILDERS. 

Their  earth-works,  which  have  become  their  monu- 
ments, are  of  three  kinds :  mounds,  embankments  and 
enclosures,  and  are  found  all  the  way  from  Wisconsin  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  One  mound  in  Cahokia, 
Illinois,  is  500x700  feet  in  size  and  90  feet  high.  Cen- 
tral America  is  one  vast  field  of  them,  and  temples  of 
stone  were  erected  on  them  which  still  remain,  while  in 
this  country  the  buihlings  were  made  of  clay  and  have 
long  ago  perished. 

The  age  of  these  remains  seems  to  decrease  as  we  go 


12  HISTORT    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY. 

south.  Those  of  North  America  appear  to  be  the  old- 
est ;  then  come  the  relics  of  the  traditionary  Toltecs  of 
Central  America ;  while  the  Aztecs,  of  South  America, 
were  in  their  prime  350  years  ago.  Both  these  peoples 
believed  they  had  come  from  an  unknown  land  at  the 
north. 

The  mounds  in  this  part  of  the  State  are  generally 
small,  but  quite  numerous.  Between  one  and  two  dozen 
are  clearly  marked  on  the  bluffs  along  Fox  river,  in  this 
county,  and  doubtless  many  others  have  been  wholly  or 
partially  obliterated.  One  of  the  finest  is  on  the  county 
line  at  Millington,  on  Joseph  Jackson's  land.  It  was 
dug  into  by  a  committee  "of  citizens  about  forty  years 
ago,  and  found  to  be  a  great  burial  heap.  Numbers  of 
human  teeth  were  taken  out,  but  some  fragments  of 
bones  found  were  replaced  and  again  covered.  It  is 
probable  that  these  were  remains  of  Indians  subsequently 
buried  there.  Three  rows  of  five  mounds  each  are  found 
on  the  northern  bluff  of  the  river  :  one  on  Mrs.  Duryea's 
land,  near  Bristol ;  another  on  Truman  Hathaway's  ;  and 
a  third  on  D.  R.  Ballou's,  above  the  woolen  factory  at 
Millington.  In  Mrs.  Duryea's  mounds  were  also  found 
in  1837  some  teeth  and  a  decayed  skull.  Others  par- 
tially effaced  are  at  the  mouths  of  the  Bob  Roy  and 
Rock  creeks,  and  are  only  a  few  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  river,  proving  that  since  they  were  built  the  river 
has  flowed  in  its  present  channel.  The  Rob  Roy  mound 
a  short  time  ago  was  partly  uncovered  by  water,  and 
George  Steward,  of  Piano,  our  indefatigable  archseolo- 


MOUND    builders'    WORK.  13 

gist,  picked  up  there  three  hundred  and  twenty  frag- 
ments of 

ANCIENT    POTTERY, 

and  others  may  be  found  by  any  one  curious  enough  to 
look  for  them.  The  material  is  a  coarse  clay,  mingled 
with  sand  and  flint,  and  the  outside  is  often  rudely  or- 
namented with  lines  and  figures  made  in  the  clay  before 
baking.  We  have  no  record  that  our  Indians  either  did 
or  could  make  such  ware,  while  it  is  far  too  coarse  to 
have  belonged  to  any  white  family,  so  that  we  are  thrown 
back  on  the  supposition  of  an  aboriginal  race  that  were 
in  intelligence  between  Indians  and  Whites.  There  are 
on  the  same  ground  an  abundance  of  flint  chippings, 
suggesting  to  us  that  the  spot  may  have  been  a  primi- 
tive store  and  workshop. 

THE    MOUNDS 

are  generally  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  and  from 
two  to  five  feet  high  ;  probably  not  more  than  one-third 
their  original  height.  They  are  surrounded  by  no 
ditches  or  depressions,  and  are  composed  of  black  earth, 
by  which  we  may  understand  that  the  builders  had  no 
digging  tools,  but  scratched  up  the  soil  from  the  surface 
and  brought  it  in  their  jars  or  aprons.  It  demonstrates, 
too,  that  the  mounds  are  not  the  work  of  nature,  other- 
wise the  interior  would  be  clay  or  gravel.  Their  pur- 
pose was  doubtless  for  burial  mounds.  Having  no  means 
of  excavating  graves,  the  people  placed  their  dead  on 
the  surface  and  heaped  the  soil  about  them,  probably 
adding  to  the  heap  from  time  to  time  as  others  died, 
until  a  large  tumulus  or  sepulchral  hill  was  raised. 
Such  ancient  mounds,  called  "barrows"  in  England,  are 


14  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

found  all  over  the  world,  and  are  of  a  class  with  the 
stone  "cromlechs"  of  Europe,  the  "cairns"  of  Scot- 
land, and  the  "dolmen"  of  France.  The  larger  kinds, 
however,  were  undoubtedly  designed  for  defense  against 

enemies. 

Admitting  these  conclusions,  it  needs  but  little  imag- 
ination to  picture  before  us  those  first  inhabitants  of  our 
country,  with  their  red  adobe  dwellings  along  our  streams, 
their  rude  pottery  kilns  smoking  in  the  ground  by  our 
clay  banks,  and  their  funeral  processions  toiling  to  cover 
their  dead  and  leaving  some  weeping  mourner  to  watch 
the  precious  mound. 

But  the  end  came.  A  fierce  people,  less  skillful  in 
peace  but  more  cunning  in  war,  came  in  upon  them  and 
either  drove  them  out  or  exterminated  them,  and  dwelt 
in  their  stead.  Soon  the  rude  houses  decayed  and  the 
conquerors  cared  not  to  repair  them  ;  the  utensils  were 
broken  and  they  could  not  replace  them,  and  the  frag- 
ments, like  old  hieroglyphics,  remain  to  outline  the 
story.  The  conquered  race  either  perished  or  passed  on 
to  other  wilds,  perhaps  towards  the  waters  of  the  Col- 
orado, where  the  remains  of  a  similar  dying  race  are 
found  to-day. 

It  does  not  seem  necessary  to  assign  a  high  antiquity 
to  the  mound  builders.  They  were  here  before  white 
men  came,  but  that  was  only  three  hundred  years  ago. 
Trees  six  hundred  years  old  grow  on  some  of  their 
works,  but  those  works  may  have  been  abandoned  cen- 
turies before  the  race  went  out.  Then  there  is  the  anal- 
oaT  of  the  adobe  dwellers  of  Colorado,  who.  though 
slowly   perishing,  are  still  in  existence,  while  yet  they 


CAUSE   OF   AMERICAN    DISCOVERY. 


15 


have  been  surrounded  by  the  wild  Indians  for  hundreds 
of  years.  And  part,  at  least,  of  the  perishable  remains 
found  in  the  mounds  are  confidently  believed  by  scienti- 
fic men  to  belong  to  the  mound  builders.  They  may 
well  enouorh  have  been  here  in  that  traditional  time  w^hen 
the  gigantic  mastodons  roamed  the  lowlands  and  crossed 
the  swamps  in  which  they  were  mired,  and  that  time  is 
not  ancient  enough  for  wet  places  to  have  become  dry  ; 
but  whatever  be  the  time  in  which  this  people  was  here, 
they  have  all  gone.  Like  the  ancient  monarchies  of  the 
East  they  have  passed  away  ;  but  unlike  those  monarch- 
ies they  have  left  no  hieroglyphic  monuments  to  tell  the 
story. 


CHAPTER   II. 


INDIANS    AND    FRENCH    MISSIONARIES. 


;HE  INDIANS  were  so  called  by  Co- 
lumbus because  he  supposed  he  had 
sailed  across  the  western  sea  to  the 
eastern  shores  of  India.  He  did  not 
know  that  a  new  continent  in  mid 
ocean  had  stopped  his  course  before  he 
was  half  wav  to  India,  and  that  3000 
miles  of  land  blocked  the  "North-west  Passage."'  It 
was  this  gorgeous  East  that  inspired  the  efforts  of  all  the 
early  navigators,  none  of  them  realizing  that  they  had 
discovered  a  more  valuable   West.     Nor   did   they  give 


16  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

over  until  every  nook  and  cranny  of  the  American  coast, 
from  Brazil  to  Greenland,  had  been  explored,  in  hope  of 
finding  an  avenue  through  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  But 
what  past  generations  could  not  find,  the  present  gener- 
ation has  made,  and  the  continent  has  become  more  than 
a  substitute  for  the  ocean,  inasmuch  as  the  Panama  and 
Union  Pacific  Railways  are  swifter  than  ships. 

When  the  Indians  came  to  this  continent  we  have  no 
present  means  of  knowing,  and  their  traditions  do  not 
tell ;  nor  do  we  know  from  what  land  their  ancestors 
came.  They  did  not  originate  here,  for  they  have  dis- 
placed an  older  people.  There  are  many  ways  by  which 
they  could  have  come.  Behrings  Strait  is  only  fift}^  miles 
wide,  with  islands  between.  It  is  set  down  accurately 
in  a  very  old  Japanese  Map  in  the  British  Museum, 
showing  that  the  ancient  Asiatic  navigators  were  ac- 
quainted with  it  and  with  the  land  beyond.  Then 
below  the  Strait,  and  reaching  from  Japan  to  America, 
is  a  natural  bridge  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  islands — 
the  Kurile  and  Aleutian  groups.  On  the  other  side  of 
the  continent  Greenland  and  Iceland,  whose  authentic 
history  reaches  back  a  thousand  years,  form  connecting 
links  with  Europe.  Greenland  is  but  two  hundred  miles 
from  British  America.  Over  these  different  routes  many, 
many  voyagers  undoubtedly  have  come  whose  adventures 
there  was  no  historian  to  record.  Other  pathways  are 
across  the  great  ocean  itself.  Japanese  junks  have  more 
than  once  been  blown  to  our  shores ;  Polynesian  island- 
ers have  been  drifted  across  the  sea  in  open  boats  ;  four 
hundred  years  ago  the  Portugese  were  wafted  uncon- 
sciously to  Brazil ;  six  hundred  years  ago  a  Welsh  fleet 


ORIGINAL    INHABITANTS.  17 

under  Madoc,  Prince  of  Wales,  drifted  to  America,  and 
landed,  it  is  supposed,  on  the  coast  of  Virginia;  and 
nine  hundred  years  ago  the  Scandinavians  founded  a 
colony  on  the  coast  of  Massachusetts.  We  cannot  go 
farther  back,  for  history  stops.  The  latter  colony  con- 
tinued for  three  hundred  years,  and  would  probably  have 
been  permanent  if  they  could  have  cut  themselves  loose 
from  the  mother  country  and  become  natives.  They 
were  not  indigenous  to  the  soil.  This  the  ancestors  of 
the  Indians  did,  and  they  flourished  and  became  tribes 
and  nations  which  in  lapse  of  time  differed  in  appearance 
and  in  dialect  one  from  another.  Whatever  their  ances- 
tral civilization  might  have  been,  they  relapsed  into  sav- 
ages, and  were  able  by  force  of  numbers  to  expel  all 
conflicting  races  not  as  savage  as  themselves. 
In  1634  the 

FIRST   JESUIT    MISSIONARIES 

visited  the  trackless  wilds  of  Canada,  and  were  followed 
in  the  course  of  thirteen  years  by  more  than  forty  others. 
By  1641  they  had  penetrated  to  Lake  Superior — five 
years  before  the  devoted  Eliot  had  addressed  the  tribe  of 
Indians  that  dwelt  within  six  miles  of  Boston.  In  1667 
the  mission  was  still  maintained  and  the  Pottawatomies 
and  Sacs  and  Foxes  visited  it,  and  invited  the  missiona- 
ries to  their  homes.  We  get  these  accounts  from  the 
Jesuit  narratives  which  were  published  at  Paris,  and  are 
still  preserved  in  old  libraries.  We  believe  they  are 
reliable,  as  the  missionaries,  as  a  class,  were  humble, 
self-denying  men.     We  cannot  be  sure  whether 

THE    POTTAWATOMIES 

were  here  at  this  time  or  came  later.     Schoolcraft,  the 


18  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

famous  Indian  historian,  says  that  in  the  early  part  of 
the  eighteenth  century  the  Pottawatomies  had  crowded 
the  Miamies  from  their  dwellings  at  Chicago,  that  they 
came  from  the  islands  near  the  entrance  of  Green  Bay, 
and  were  a  branch  of  the  great  nation  of  the  Chippewas 
or  Ojibwas.  Others  say  they  came  from  Canada,  at  an 
unknown  date.  Perhaps  both  these  accounts  are  true, 
though  we  never  shall  certainly  know,  for  Indians  wrote 
no  histories.  A  piece  of  writing  was  to  them  a  dark 
mystery. 

The  Miamies  were  undoubtedly  here  in  1672,  for  that 
year  they  were  visited  by  Allouez  and  Dablon,  two  French 
Missionaries,  who  were  the  first  whites  of  whom  we  have 
any  record  who  set  foot  in  Northern  Illinois. 

But  as  yet 

THE    MISSISSIPPI 

had  not  been  discovered.  It  was  described  bv  the  In- 
dians  as  the  Great  River,  in  whose  waters  were  savage 
monsters,  and  on  whose  banks  were  savage  nations. 
There  were  three  theories  about  it :  first,  that  it  ran  south- 
west to  the  Gulf  of  California  ;  second,  that  it  ran  south 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  third,  that  it  ran  south-east  to 
the  Atlantic  Ocean.  The  whole  region  was  a  mystery, 
and  was  mapped  and  peopled  pretty  much  as  fancy  might 
invent.  The  earliest  books  on  America  contained  the 
wildest  tales.  They  told  of  races  of  pigmies  and  of 
giants.  That  the  southern  forests  concealed  tribes  of 
negroes,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  north  were  white  like 
the  polar  bear  or  ermine.  One  writer  had  heard  of  a 
nation  that  did  not  eat,  and  another  believed,  if  not  in 
a  race  of  headless  men,  at  least  in  a  race  whose  heads 
did  not  rise  above  their  shoulders. 


THE  GREAT  FRENCH  MISSIONARY.       19 

The  question  of  the  river,  however,  was  more  than  a 
matter  of  curiosity  ;  it  had  a  commercial  and  political 
importance.  At  last  the  Governor  of  Canada  in  1672, 
more  than  two  hundred  years  a^o,  committed  the  explor- 
ation to  two  men,  Louis  Joliet,  who  is  known  only  in 
connection  with  this  discovery,  and 

JACQUES  MARQUETTE, 
the  famous  missionary,  who  was  then  at  his  mission  vil- 
lage in  northern  Michigan.  These  two,  with  two  canoes 
and  five  men,  floated  down  the  Mississippi  for  a  month 
as  far  as  an  Indian  town,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Arkan- 
sas river,  when  they  became  satisfied  that  it  emptied  into 
the  gulf. 

On  their  return  they  entered  this  State  by  the  Illinois 
river,  and  were  struck  with  the  beauty  of  the  forest  and 
prairies  and  variety  of  the  game  in  some  parts  of  the 
country,  and  the  interminable  marshes  of  other  parts. 
They  found  an  Indian  town  of  four  hundred  and  sixty 
lodges,  near  Utica,  below  Ottawa,  and  as  they  passed  up, 
gazed  for  the  first  time  on  the  lofty  walls  of  Starved 
Rock.  They  were  well  received  at  the  Indian  town,  and 
one  of  the  chiefs,  with  some  of  the  young  men,  piloted 
them  up  the  O'Plaine  river,  helped  carry  their  boats 
across  the  portage  of  four  miles  in  Cook  County  to  the 
north  branch  of  the  Chicago  river,  down  which  they 
came  to  Chicago — to  Lake  Illinois  as  they  called  it. 
Here  their  guides  left  them,  and  they  went  up  the  lake 
to  Green  Bay,  and  Joliet  returned  to  Quebec.  Mar- 
quette, according  to  a  previous  promise  to  the  chiefs, 
spent  the  succeeding  winter  with  the  tribes  at  Ottawa 
and  Chicago,  and  died  at  the  Marquette  river  the  year 
after,  1675. 


CHAPTER  III. 

EXPLORATIONS  OF  LASALLE. 

T  THAT  time  Robert  Lasalle,  an  educated 
and  talented  young  man,  skilled  in  the  Indian 
dialects,  was  residing  at  Kingston,  Canada, 
then  Ft.  Frontenac,  having  obtained  a  large 
grant  there  from  the  French  government. 
^<Kp  His  fields  were  fertile ;  his  herds  multi- 
plied. His  hunters  roamed  the  forests  after  furs,  and  his 
mechanics  built  canoes  and  vessels,  while  under  his  shel- 
ter the  missions  flourished,  his  countrymen  settled,  and 
groups  of  friendly  Iroquois  built  their  cabins.  Fortune 
was  within  his  grasp.  But  Joliet,  as  he  descended  from 
the  upper  lakes,  passing  the  forts,  had  told  the  story  of 
his  discoveries,  and  Lasalle  was  at  once  fired  with  plans 
of  commerce  between  Europe  and  the  Mississippi.  Going 
to  France,  he  unfolded  his  vast  schemes,  obtained  his 
commission,  returned  with  the  necessary  men,  Tonti,  an 
Italian  veteran,  as  his  lieutenant,  launched  a  ship  of  ten 
tons  at  Niagara,  and  about  Sept.  1,  1769,  shipped  back 
his  first  ship  load  of  furs  from  Green  Bay.  He  never 
heard  of  this  ship  again  ;  she  was  probably  wrecked. 
Weary  of  waiting  for  her  return,  he  determined  to 

EXPLORE    ILLINOIS. 

And  in  December  ascended  the  St.  Joe  river,  and  down 


TROUBLES  OF  LA  SALLE  AND  TONTI.       21 

the  Kankakee  to  its  mouth,  above  Morris.  Descending 
the  Illinois  river,  he  reached  the  Indian  town  visited  by 
Marquette,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Vermillion,  but  the 
tribe  was  absent  in  the  chase.  Farther  down,  where  the 
river  widens  into  Lake  Peoria,  Indians  appeared,  and 
still  farther  down  he  built  a  fort,  calling  it,  in  his  grief, 
the  Broken  Heart,  and  afterwards  set  off  on  foot,  with 
three  companions,  for  Kingston,  leaving  orders  with 
Tonti  to  fortify  the  Great  Rock,  now  Starved  Rock. 
This  he  did  the  following  spring.  But  LaSalle  had  ene- 
mies in  Canada,  who  were  jealous  of  him  on  account  of 
the  authority  and  trading  monopoly  granted  him  by  the 
government,  and  as  soon  as  they  knew^  he  had  returned 
to  Kingston  for  supplies,  they  stirred  up  the  Iroquois 
and  persuaded  a  large  party  of  them  to  go  to  Illinois  and 
destroy  his  forts.  The  Indians  came  by  canoe  around 
the  lakes,  and  in  September,  1680,  descended  the  Illi- 
nois river  and  invested  Starved  Rock.  Tonti  was  not 
prepared  for  a  siege,  and,  after  a  parley,  was  allowed  to 
escape  with  the  few  men  left  him,  for  many  had  deserted, 
and  took  refuge  with  the  Pottawatomies  at  Chicago,  who 
appear  to  have  displaced  the  Miamas  about  this  time. 
Then  began  the  famous  persecution  by  the  Iroquois  of 
the  Illinois  Indians,  who  were  friendly  to  LaSalle.  At 
least  at  this  time  it  first  comes  into  history.  The  Iro- 
quois had  long  traded  with  the  whites,  and  were  well 
armed,  and  the  others,  living  so  far  in  the  wilderness, 
were  beaten  again  and  again  and  consumed  everywhere 
with  horrid  butchery.  Only  traditions  and  imperfect 
accounts  have  come  down  to  us,  giving  but  gleams  of  the 
truth — but  those  gleams  are  tongues  that  tell  uniformly 
the  same  pitiless  tale. 


22  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

TONTI  AND  HIS  MEN 
mav  have  remained  some  time  with  the  friendlv  Potta- 
watomies,  and  scoured  with  them  the  prairies  of  Ken- 
dall County — drank  of  its  springs  and  camped  in  its 
groves.  But  it  is  most  probable  that  he  preferred  win- 
tering on  the  other  side  of  the  lake  St.  Joe,  and,  if  so, 
there  the  intrepid  LaSalle  found  him  the  next  spring, 
having  returned  from  Canada  with  men  and  stores  for 
another  little  ship  or  barge.  They  built  it  at  Green 
Bay,  during  the  summer,  launched  it  in  the  spring  of 
1682,  and  with  another  cargo  of  furs,  the  party  again 
descended  the  Illinois.  They  doubtless  gazed  long  and 
earnestly  at  the  deserted  Rock  Fort,  as  they  floated  past, 
but  kept  on  to  the  Mississippi,  and  completed  the  explo- 
ration of  the  river  to  its  mouth.  LaSalle  then  formally 
took  possession  of  the  entire  country  in  the  name  of 
France,  calling  it  Louisiana.  The  news  was  gloriously 
received  at  the  French  court.  It  was  the  beginning  of 
what,  it  was  confidently  believed,  Avould  be  a  vast  and 
wealthy  empire,  making  France  the  mightiest  nation  on 
earth.     And  that  piece  of  tall  sandstone,  now  known  as 

STARVED  ROCK, 

was  the  centre  of  those  ambitious  hopes — so  far  as  the 
great  West  was  concerned,  for  it  was  for  years  the  only 
important  military  station  in  the  West,  besides  Macki- 
naw, and  was  far  the  stronger  of  the  two.  Lasalle 
returned  there  from  his  Mississippi  exploration,  cut  away 
the  forest  trees  from  the  top  of  the  rock,  built  houses, 
stretched  palisades  across  the  isthmus,  and  gathered  at 
the  base  as  many  of  the  friendly  Illinois  tribes — Tama- 
roaSj  Kaskaskias,   Cohokies,  Michigans,  Peorias,  &c. — 


LA  SALLE  RETURNS  TO  FRANCE.        23 

as  he  could  find.  It  was  a  lively  place  for  the  time. 
He  either  wintered  there,  or  leaving  Tonti  in  command, 
went  on  to  Green  Bay.  In  either  case,  the  territory  of 
Kendall  county  was  too  near  not  to  be  traversed  again 
and  again  by  the  French  garrison  and  their  Indian  allies 
in  search  of  game,  and  the  coveted  furs,  for  the  sake  of 
which  the  post  was  largely  maintained.  Wolves  and 
raccoons  were  shot  in  our  groves,  beavers  trapped  along 
our  streams,  and  the  lordly  buftalo  chased  over  our  prai- 
ries and  brought  to  the  ground  by  Indian  arrows  or 
French  flint-locks.  The  following  year  Lasalle's  monop- 
oly expired,  and  he  returned  to  France  to  have  it 
renewed,  leaving  the  faithful  Tonti  in  command  at  the 
fort.  He  never  saw  Illinois  again.  In  the  meantime 
the  missions  were  continued  at  the  Rock  and  Kaskaskia. 
The  last  is  the  oldest  European  settlement  in  the  Missis- 
sippi valley,  and  Illinois  is  consequently  the  oldest  of 
all  the  interior  States.  Among  the  missionaries  was 
Allouez,  one  of  the  two  who  visited  Illinois  eleven  years 
before. 

Lasalle  was  expected  back  in  the  summer  of  1684, 
and  in  the  early  spring  Tonti  sent  a  letter  by  trusty 
messengers  to  await  him  at  the  mouth  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. But  he  came  not,  and  the  messengers  left  the 
letter  at  an  Indian  village,  with  directions  to  deliver  it 
to  the  white  ships  when  they  arrived.  They  were  faith- 
ful to  their  trust,  and  fifteen  years  afterwards  delivered 
the  letter  to  D'Iberville,  who  entered  the  mouth  of  the 
great  river  with  a  Canadian  colony. 

Three  years  wore  away.  The  lonely  Illinois  garrison 
passed  their  time  in  fishing,  hunting,  trapping,  trading 


24  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

with  the  natives,  and  taking  turns  in  going  to  market 
with  the  furs  and  returning  with  stores  and  articles  of 
barter.     The 

MISSIONARIES 

had  the  hardest  life.  Marest  wrote  :  "  Our  life  is  passed 
in  roaming  through  thick  woods,  in  clambering  over 
hills,  in  paddling  the  canoe  across  lakes  and  rivers,  to 
catch  a  poor  savage  who  flies  from  us,  and  whom  we  can 
tame  neither  by  teaching  nor  by  caresses." 

He  thus  describes  a  journey  from  the  rock  to  the  Peo- 
rias :  ''I  departed,  being  accompanied  by  only  three 
savages,  who  might  abandon  me  from  levity,  or  from 
fear  of  enemies  might  fly.  The  horror  of  these  vast 
uninhabited  forest  regions,  where,  in  twelve  days,  not  a 
soul  was  met,  almost  took  away  all  my  courage.  Here 
was  a  journey  where  there  was  no  village,  no  bridge,  no 
ferry,  no  boat,  no  house,  no  beaten  path,  and  over 
boundless  prairies,  intersected  by  rivulets  and  rivers, 
through  forests  and  thickets  filled  with  briers  and  thorns, 
through  marshes  where  we  plunged  sometimes  to  the 
girdle.  At  night  repose  was  sought  on  the  grass  or  on 
leaves,  exposed  to  the  wind  and  rain,  happy  if  by  the 
side  of  some  rivulet  of  which  a  draught  might  quench 
thirst.  A  meal  was  prepared  from  such  game  as'was 
killed  on  the  way,  or  by  roasting  ears  of  corn." 

This  is  from  Marest's  letters  published  a  quarter  of  a 
century  later,  at  Paris,  but  applies  equally  to  the  state 
of  things  in  Tonti's  day.  In  the  spring  of  1687,  the 
Italian  lieutenant  having  heard  through  Canada  that 
Lasalle  with  four  ships  and  a  large  colony  had  sailed 
from  France  for  the  Mississippi,  and  unable  to  bear  his 


THE    DEATH    OF    LA  SALLE.  25 

suspense  any  longer,  went  down  with  a  single  compan- 
ion in  search  of  him.  Finding  no  success,  he  built  a 
log  cabin  on  an  island  near  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas 
river,  erected  a  large  cross  to  attract  the  attention  of 
passing  boats,  and  resolved  to  spend  the  season  there, 
in  hope  of  obtaining  some  trace  of  his  master.  It  soon 
came.  July  24th,  six  men  and  an  Indian  guide  appeared 
on  the  Arkansas  side  of  the  river,  and  proved  to  be  a 
remnant  of  Lasalles  party.  The  first  question  was  : 
"Where  is  Lasalle?"  ''^JDead!''  On  arriving  three 
years  before  he  had  missed  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi, 
spent  two  years  on  the  coast  of  Texas  after  the  wreck 
of  the  one  ship  left  him,  and  started  with  sixteen  men 
to  reach  Canada,  eighteen  hundred  miles  through  the 
wilderness.  On  the  way  he  was  shot  by  two  of  his  men 
and  left  to  be  devoured  by  wolves  on  the  Texas  prairie, 
on  one  of  the  lower  branches  of  the  Trinity  river. 

So  perished  one  who  by  his  adventures  is  linked  to 
Northern  Illinois,  and  who  for  true  genius,  vast  concep- 
tions, force  of  will,  energy  of  purpose  and  unfaltering 
hope,  had  no  superior  among  his  countrymen.  It  is  no 
sorrow  to  us  to  know  that  his  murderers  were  themselves 
murdered  while  quarreling  over  the  spoil.  The  surviv- 
ors obtained  a  guide  who  piloted  them  to  the  Indian 
town  on  the  Arkansas,  nearly  the  very  spot  where 
Tonti  was  awaiting  him.  In  a  few  days  they  took  their 
sad  journey  up  the  river  to  the  Illinois  Rock,  where,  so 
far  as  we  know,  Tonti  remained  in  command  during  the 
following  eighteen  years. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

TRADE    AND    WAR. 

;I'RING  this    time    there  was  a  continued 
struggle  hetween  French  and  English  for 

MONOPOLIES    IN    TRADE. 

France,  through  her  missionaries,  had  the 
start,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  At- 
lantic coast,  claimed  and  held  the  entire  land  from  Maine 
to  Hudson's  Bay.  It  was  called  New  France.  Yet,  so 
weak  were  the  garrisons  that  English  traders,  through 
the  Senecas,  obtained  a  large  share  of  the  commerce  of 
the  lakes,  and  individual  rangers  penetrated  every  for- 
est where  there  was  an  Indian  with  skins  to  sell. 

In  1689  war  was  declared  between  France  and  Eng- 
land that  continued  eight  years,  and  the  Jesuits,  hereto- 
fore so  self-denying,  became  bloody  partisans  for  their 
country.  They  stirred  up  the  Indians  to  such  horrid 
massacres  of  the  English  colonists,  that  the  very  name 
of  a  French  missionary  was  hated,  and  in  1700  the  New 
York  legislature  made  it  legal  to  hang  any  Popish  priest 
who  should  come  into  the  province.  The  blood  policy, 
though  ruinous  in  the  end,  was  successful  at  the  time,  for 
when  peace  was  made,  France  retained  all  but  the  cod 
fisheries  of  Nova  Scotia. 


THE    SEVEN    YEARS'    WAR.  27 

In  1696  it  was  stated  in  a  public  document  to  be  the 
wish  of  Louis  XIV  of  France  to  preserve  the  rock  fort 
in  Illinois  as  a  permanent  fortress,  but  whether  it  was 
done  or  not  we  cannot  say.  Tonti,  with  twenty  Cana- 
dians, left  it  in  February,  1700,  again  going  down 
the  Mississippi  to  meet  some  new  arrivals,  and  we  have 
no  certain  account  of  his  ever  returning.  He  had 
become  an  old  man,  and  after  twenty-two  years  of  wil- 
derness life,  doubtless  longed  for  his  native  Italy.  The 
probability  is  that  the  post  was  maintained,  as  traders 
were  still  more  numerous.  That  very  year  a  company 
in  quest  of  copper  ore  wintered  among  the  lowas,  far 
up  the  Mississippi,  above  St.  Paul.  But  the  western 
records  of  the  following  half  century  are  scarce.  We 
find  fewer  missionary  narratives  to  appeal  to.  Their 
pens  were  drowned  in  blood.  Or,  perhaps  the  stoi'y  of 
the  wilderness  being  once  told,  there  was  less  to  write 
about.  The  general  history,  however,  was  one  of  Indian 
trading;  the  colonist  had  not  begun  to  come.     In  1756, 

THE  SEVEN  YEARS'  WAR 

begun  between  the  powers  of  Europe,  during  which  886,- 
000  men  were  slain.  In  many  parts  not  enough  were  left 
to  till  the  ground.  Nothing  at  all  was  gained  by  those 
who  planned  the  carnage.  The  possession  of  the  Great 
West  passed  over  to  England.  Illinois  ceased  being  a 
part  of  New  France,  and  became  a  part  of  the  North- 
western Territory.     The  Indians  under 

PONTIAC 
continued  the  war  two  years  longer,  and  then  yielded. 
This  imperious,  long-haired,  dark-skinned  orator,  prophet 
and  general,  was  truly  one  of  nature's  noblemen,  but  had 


28  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

the  misfortune  to  be  born  a  savage.  He  was  of  extraordin- 
ary talent  and  force  of  character,  and  was  signally  famous 
for  his  hatred  of  the  English.  He  organized  against 
them  a  confederacy  of  Indian  tribes,  through  a  region 
of  wilderness  a  thousand  miles  long,  but  only  to  be 
defeated  in  the  end.  He  retreated  to  Illinois,  and  in 
April,  1769,  was  killed  by  an  Indian  assassin  from  the 
tribe  of  the  Peorias.  On  this,  a  bitter  Indian  war  fol- 
lowed, which  resulted  in  nearly  exterminating  some  of 
the  Illinois  tribes.     One 

ILL-FATED    PARTY 

was  besieged  on  the  rock  of  the  old  French  fort.  Their 
provisions  gave  out.  For  water,  they  rolled  up  their 
blankets  and  let  them  down  to  the  river  below,  but  the 
cords  were  cut  off  by  their  watchful  enemies.  And  so, 
by  the  agonies  of  hunger  and  thirst,  they  perished,  and 
the  spot  has  ever  since  been  known  by  the  name  of 
Starved  Rock — the  greatest  historical  relic  in  Illinois. 
One  great  battle  was  fought  on  the  site  of  the  city  of 
Morris,  and  the  bones  of  the  dead  still  moulder  there  in 
the  soil.  At  this  time  there  were  about  two  thousand 
whites,  including  women  and  children,  in  the  whole  Illi- 
nois valley,  and  about  fifty  families  at  St.  Louis,  the 
center  of  the  fur  trade  with  the  Indian  nations  on  the 
Missouri.  Daniel  Boone  had  but  just  wandered  forth  "  in 
quest  of  the  country  of  Kentucky." 

Illinois  was  regarded  as  a  land  of  boundless  plains  and 
boundless  wealth,  and  many  advocated  sending  out  colo- 
nies immediately  to  take  possession  of  it.  But  it  was 
objected  that  a  power  would  be  formed  which  distance 
would  make  practically  independent  of  the  colonies  on 


CESSION    OF   CHIKAJOUX.  29 

the  coast.  So  the  land  was  left  to  become  the  asylum  of 
the  distressed  and  adventurous,  the  poor  man's  refuge, 
and  log  cabins  and  clearings  rapidly  multiplied.  It  is 
a  strange  fact,  but  probably  true,  that 

THE    BUFFALOS 

went  out  with  the  French.  Up  to  that  time,  as  the 
Indians  said,  "they  were  as  thick  as  trees  in  the  forest," 
and  roamed  in  vast  droves  over  the  prairies.  They  were 
so  plenty  and  so  valued  that  one  of  the  specifications  in 
LaSalle's  first  commission  was  a  monopoly  of  the  trade 
in  buffalo  robes.  But  in  1763  the  snow  fell,  it  is  said, 
twelve  feet  deep — the  severest  winter  ever  known — and 
the  buffaloes,  cut  off  from  their  supplies,  wholly  perished. 
For  fifty  years  or  more,  acres  of  bleaching  bones,  here 
and  there  upon  our  prairies,  testified  to  the  hard  winter 
that  destroyed  nearly  every  buftalo  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. 

In  1790,  Gen.  St.  Clair  was  appointed  Military  Gov- 
ernor of  the  northwest  territory,  and  the  first  territorial 
legislature  meeting,  at  Cincinnati,  elected  William  Henry 
Harrison  delegate  to  Congress. 

St.  Clair  was  succeeded  by  Gen.  Wayne,  who  defeated 
the  Indians  in  a  pitched  battle,  and  so  made  peace  for  a 
time.  In  the  peace  treaty,  the  Indians  ceded  to  the 
United  States,  "  one  piece  of  land  six  miles  sijuare,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Chikajo  river,  emptying  into  the  south- 
west end  of  Lake  Michigan,  where  a  fort  formerly  stood." 
The  name  of  the  river  in  one  of  the  missionary  narra- 
tives is  Chikajoux. 


30  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

In  1800,  the  territory  was  divided,  and  Illinois  was 
included  in  the 

INDIAN   TERRITORY. 

In  1804  Fort  Dearborn  was  built,  and  Mr.  Kinzie, 
father  of  John  H.,  moved  there  as  Indian  trader.  In 
1811  Gen.  Harrison  was  Governor,  and  defeated  the 
Indians  in  a  bloody  battle  at  Tippecanoe,  not  more  than 
a  hundred  miles  southeast  from  Yorkville.  Tecumseh 
was  not  present,  but  was  the  general  commander  of  the 
Indians.  British  agents,  however,  were  the  real  cause 
of  the  troubles,  and  this  battle  greatly  increased  the 
desire  of  the  people,  especially  along  the  frontier,  for 
war  Avith  England,  both  to  avenge  their  calamities  and  also 
as  the  only  sure  road  to  peace.  This  feeling  was  shared 
by  Congress,  and  led  to  a  declaration  of  war  in  June, 
1812.  In  August,  the  traitor  general  Hull,  command- 
ant at  Detroit,  ordered  the  Chicago  fort  to  be  abandoned, 
and  the  garrison,  in  trying  to  escape,  were  nearly  all 
murdered  by  the  Pottawatomies,  near  what  is  now  Twelfth 
street.  Their  bones  bleached  on  the  prairie  for  four 
years,  until  the  war  was  over,  when  they  were  gathered 
and  buried  in  1816. 

Got.  5,  1813.  the  renowned  Shawnee  orator  and  com- 
mander, 

TECUMSEH, 

one  of  the  most  formidable  Indian  chiefs  that  ever  fou2;ht 
against  the  United  States,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the 
Thames,  near  Lake  St.  Clair,  in  Upper  Canada.  Shab- 
bona,  the  ff\mous  Pottawatomie,  was  with  him  at  the 
time,  as  one  of  his  aids.  He  had  a  presentiment  that  it 
would   be   his  last  battle,  and  gave  his  sword  to  one  of 


THE   DEATH    OF  TECUMSEH.  31 

his  followers,  to  be  given  to  his  son  as  soon  as  he  should 
become  a  warrior.  Then  raising  the  war-cry,  he  sprang 
up  from  the  swamp  where  he  lay  with  his  men,  and 
charged  the  Kentucky  cavalry.  He  was  wounded  sev- 
eral times,  but  fought  on  with  the  greatest  desperation. 
At  last,  says  Shabbona,  he  sprang  forward  with  uplifted 
tomahawk  towards  a  man  riding  a  gray  horse.  Before 
he  could  reach  him  the  man  discharged  a  pistol,  and  the 
fiery  chief  received  a  mortal  wound  in  the  breast.  He 
shouted  his  last  word  of  command,  and  stepping  forward, 
sunk  down  at  the  foot  of  a  tree  and  died.  The  officer 
on  the  orrav  horse  was  Col.  Richard  M.  Johnson.  As 
soon  as  they  knew  their  commander  was  no  more,  the 
red  men  were  seized  with  terror  and  despair,  and  fled. 

Such  scenes  were  repugnant  to  the  peaceful  disposi- 
tion of  young  Shabbona,  and  it  was  the  last  great  battle 
he  was  ever  engaged  in.  In  referring  to  it  he  used  to 
say  :  "  Indians  and  red  coats  all  run ;  Shabbona  run,  too. 
He  never  more  fight  'Mcricans  ;  Ugh,  never  I"  At  the 
close  of  the  war  in  1815,  the  Indians  made  a  general 
peace,  which  was  not  broken  for  seventeen  years.  In 
1816  the  fort  was  re-built,  and  the  Pottawatomies  c^dcd 
to  the  State  a  tract  of  land  twenty  miles  wide,  for  the 
canal  route  from  Chicago  to  a  line  uniting  the  mouths 
of  the  Fox  and  Kankakee,  or  thereabouts.  Thev  asked 
but  a  trifle'for  it,  being  convinced  by  the  treaty  commis- 
sioners that  the  canal  would  be  greatly  to  their  benefit. 
The  project  was  the  result  of  a  lesson  learned  by  the 
government  during  the  war,  viz  :  The  need  of  a  more 
perfect  means  of  communication  with  the  interior. 


32  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

In  1818, 


ILLINOIS, 


made  the  Union  of  legal  age,  by  being  admitted  as  the 
twenty-first  State.  Shadrach  Bond  was  the  first  Gov- 
ernor. There  was  not  in  the  northern  part  a  single 
white  man,  so  far  as  known,  except  at  the  military  post 
at  Chicago.  The  prairies,  covered  with  grass  and  span- 
gled with  flowers,  were  undisturbed  save  by  droves  of 
passing  deer,  or  Indian  travelers  following  their  trail  in 
single  file.  The  rivers  and  creeks,  stocked  with  fish, 
flowed  silently  by.  The  solitude  of  the  groves  was 
unbroken  except  by  the  hungry  howling  of  the  wolves 
and  the  occasional  sound  of  an  Indian's  musket. 


CHAPTER  V. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENTS. 

EMPTY  was  the  wilderness,  that  in 
1820,  when  Alexander  Wolcott,  the  In- 
dian agent  at  Chicago,  wished  to  be 
united  in  marriage  to  Ellen  M.  Kinzie, 
he  was  obliged  with  his  bride  and  party 
to  go  down  the  silent  Fox  and  Illinois 
valleys,  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles, 
to  Fulton  county,  to  find  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  to  per- 
form the  ceremony. 

The  year  following  Lewis  Cass  arrived  in  a  birch 
canoe,  charged  with  the  weighty  business  of  obtaining 
from  the  red  men  the   right  of  way  for  a   government 


ILLINOIS  IN  1823.  33 

railroad  from  Detroit  to  Chicago,  uniting  Lake  Erie  and 
Lake  Michigan.  He  obtained  the  land,  but  the  project 
fell  through  and  was  left  for  the  Michioran  Southern  Rail- 
road  Company  to  accomplish.  The  lead  mines  at  Galena 
caused  that  portion  of  the  State  to  be  settled  before  any 
of  the  surrounding  territory.  The  mines  began  to  be 
worked  in  1821,  and  in  five  years  Galena  was  laid  out, 
and  the  county  organized.  The  first  miners  used  to 
spend  their  winters  at  home,  returning  to  the  mines  in 
the  spring  at  the  time  when  suckers  run,  and  this  coin- 
cidence and  their  great  numbers  caused  them  to  be  called 
"Suckers."  In  this  way,  so  the  tradition  runs,  the  inhab- 
itants of  Illinois  came  by  their  cant  name. 

The  American  Atlas,  published  at  Philadelphia  in 
1822,  says  :  "Illinois  has  nineteen  counties  and  fifty- 
five  thousand  inhabitants.  The  settlements  at  present 
are  confined  to  the  southern  portion  of  the  State,  and 
the  neighborhood  of  the  great  rivers.  Vandalia  is  now 
the  seat  of  government.  Kaskaskia,  the  former  capital, 
contains  a  bank,  a  land  office,  and  about  one  hundred  and 
sixty  houses,  scattered  over  an  extensive  plain.  The 
town  was  settled  upward  of  one  hundred  years  ago  by 
emigrants  from  Lower  Canada,  and  about  one-half  the 
inhabitants  are  French.  The  surrounding  country  is 
under  good  cultivation." 

On  the  accompanying  map  counties  were  laid  ofi"  as 
far  as  Madison,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi 
river.  All  north  of  that  was  unsurveyed  territory,  con- 
taining Indian  villages  only. 

In  1823,  after  seven  years'  delay,  Majors  Long  and 


34  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Keating  surveyed  the  canal  lands.  In  their  report  they 
say  : 

"The  scenery  about  Chicago  consists  merely  of  a 
plain  in  which  but  few  patches  of  thin  and  scrubby 
woods  are  observed  scattered  here  and  there.  The  vil- 
lage presents  no  cheering  prospect,  as  notwithstanding 
its  antiquity  it  consists  of  but  few  huts,  inhabited  by  a 
miserable  race  of  men — scarcely  equal  to  the  Indians — 
from  whom  they  are  descended.  Their  log  or  bark  houses 
are  low,  filthy  and  disgusting,  displaying  not  the  least 
trace  of  comfort.  The  number  of  trails  centering  at  this 
point  and  their  apparent  antiquity  indicate  that  this  was 
probably  for  a  long  time  the  site  of  a  large  Indian  vil- 
lage. As  a  place  of  business  it  ofiers  no  inducement  to 
the  settler." 

The  poor  opinion  of  the  government  surveyors  possi- 
bly contributed  to  the  delay  of  the  work,  for  another 
S£ven  years  passed  before  much  more  was  done. 

The  northern  boundary  of  the  canal  tract,  known  as  the 

INDIAN    BOUNDARY    LINE, 

strikes  Kendall  county  at  the  north-east  section  corner, 
on  the  estate  of  William  Murray,  town  of  Na-au-say, 
passing  through  the  Aux  Sable  timber,  in  the  town  of 
Seward,  and  crosses  the  creek  on  J.  McKanna's  land. 
There  it  turns,  where  there  is  a  jog  in  the  road,  at  a 
point  opposite  to  where  the  south  boundary  strikes  the 
Kankakee,  and  goes  nearer  west,  crossing  Lisbon  creek 
four  times,  in  the  town  of  Lisbon,  passing  a  few  rods 
south  of  the  red  school  house,  in  the  town  of  Big  Grove, 
through  Apakesha  grove,  and  out  of  the  county,  eighty 
rods  north  of  Holderman's  grove.     It  strikes  Fox  river 


THE    FIRST    PIONEERS.  35 

two  or  three  miles  below  Sheridan.  The  southern 
boundary  ends  at  the  Kankakee  river,  two  miles  above 
Wilmington.  Those  surveyors  were  probably  the  first 
whites  who  explored  our  county.  No  provision  was 
made  for  constructing  the  canal  until  Congress,  in  1827, 
granted  every  alternate  section  in  a  strip  five  miles  in 
width  for  that  purpose.  Two  years  afterwards  Chicago 
was  laid  out  by  the  canal  commissioners,  on  the  first 
alternate  section. 

We  have  now  reached  the  time  of  the  first  pioneers. 

In  1823  Archibald  Clvbourne  came  from  Virorinia, 
horseback,  to  Chicago,  and  took  up  a  claim  on  the  west 
fork  of  the  North  Branch,  three  miles  from  the  fort. 
The  same  year  Dr.  Davidson  built  a  cabin  by  the  mineral 
spring  in  what  is  now  South  Ottawa,  and  traded  with  the 
Indians  until  his  death  three  years  after. 

In  1824, 

•  REV.  JESSE  WALKER 

was  sent  out  as  a  Methodist  missionary  among  the  Pot- 
tawatomies,  and  traversed  much  of  the  same  ground 
passed  over  by  Marquette  one  hundred  and  sixty  years 
before.  The  same  hills  that  then  echoed  to  the  French 
tongue,  now  echoed  to  the  English,  but  a  purer  gospel 
was  proclaimed,  and  one  more  free  from  the  additions  of 
men.  Mr.  Walker  was  a  small  man,  and  usually  wore 
a  light-colored  beaver,  nearly  as  large  as  a  lady's  para- 
sol. He  was  not  a  talented  preacher,  but  had  good 
sense,  courage  and  zeal.  He  was  born  in  Buckingham 
county,  Ya.,  June  9,  1766,  and  was  converted  in  a  Baptist 
meeting,  while  young.  He  was  bv  trade  a  dresser  of 
buckskin,  or  deer  leather,  for  gloves,  moccasins,  pants. 


36  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

vests  and  hunting  shirts,  and  he  was  often  familiarly 
called  the  "  skin-dresser."  He  was  first  appointed  mis- 
sionary to  the  territories  of  Illinois  and  Missouri  in 
1806,  and  in  1820  preached  the  first  Methodist  sermon 
in  St.  Louis,  in  the  Baptist  meeting  house,  and  a  thriv- 
ing church  was  formed.  In  1823  he  entered  upon  his 
special  mission  to  the  Indians,  liaving  first  gained  per- 
mission of  the  head  men  of  the  tribe  and  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  War.  His  field  was  Northern  Illinois,  with 
Ottawa  for  a  centre.  One  of  his  stations  was  a  log 
chapel  in  the  edge  of  the  timber,  near  a  little  stream, 
just  over  the  west  line  of  Kendall  county.  The  stream 
is  since  known  as  Mission  creek,  and  the  tongue  of  tim- 
ber as  Mission  Point.  The  chapel,  it  is  believed,  stood 
about  where  Frank  Bowen's  barn  now  stands.  There 
the  lone  missionary  held  preaching  services,  by  the  help 
of  an  interpreter,  and  established  an  Indian  school  for 
the  dusky  boys  and  girls.  He  preached  also  in  the  cab- 
ins at  Ottawa,  for  several  other  settlers  had  come  in,  viz : 
Joseph  Brown,  Lewis  Baily,  Mr.  Covill,  Enos  Pem- 
brook,  Warner  Ramsey,  Pierce  Hawley,  Robert  Beres- 
ford,  and  Edmund  Weed.  In  1825  he  formed  the  first 
Methodist  class  in  Peoria.  Three  of  the  members  were 
James  Walker  and  wife,  and  Mrs.  John  Dixon.  Indeed, 
he  traveled  and  preached  and  taught  wherever  he  could 
hear  of  Indians  or  settlers.  The  veteran,  John  Sin- 
clair, often  declared  that  wherever  he  went  Jesse 
Walker  had  been  ahead  of  him.  In  1828  he  was  suc- 
ceeded at  the  Indian  mission  by  Isaac  Scarritt,  and  he 
removed  to  an  Indian  village  near  the  site  of  Plainfield. 
In  1832  he  was  appointed  to  Chicago.       At  Conference 


PROGRESS    OF   ORGANIZATION.  37 

the  following  year,  by  a  majority  vote,  the  preachers 
were  recommended  to  wear  straight-breasted  coats,  but 
Jesse  Walker,  as  well  as  John  Sinclair  and  Peter  Cart- 
right,  voted  in  the  negative.  James  Walker  and  Wil- 
liam Roval  favored  the  recommendation.  Jesse  Walker 
died  Oct.  4,  1835,  and  is  buried  at  Plainfield. 

In  1825  Mr.  Long,  James  Galloway,  Greorge  and  Hor- 
ace Sprague  and  Mr.  Ransom  came  into  LaSalle  county. 
In  the  fall  W.  F.  Walker  came  up  the  river  to  Ottawa 
in  a  keel  boat. 

In  five  years  three  tiers  of  counties  had  been  added  to 
the  State  in  its  progress  northward,  and  in  1826 

VERMILLION    COUNTY 

was  organized  and  became  the  latest  territorial  name  of 
this  vicinity.  It  embraced  all  the  country  from  Dan- 
ville to  Chicago.  Ninian  Edwards  was  elected  governor 
and  served  four  years ;  he  was  also  our  territorial  gov- 
ernor nine  years.  It  may  be  noticed,  in  passing,  that 
in  1826  a  motion  was  introduced  into  the  legislature  by 
Joseph  Duncan,  cashier  of  the  unfortunate  State  Bank, 
to  dispose  of  the  Seminary  Lands  by  public  lottery,  but 
it  was  lost  in  committee. 

A  motion  was  also  introduced  and  considered  in  com- 
mittee, to  lay  a  tax  on  all  bachelors  over  twenty-five 
years  old. 

TWO    QUOTATIONS 

from  State  papers  of  that  year  may  not  be  uninteresting 
in  a  centennial  history  : 

Gov.  Coles  in  his  valedictory  message  says  :  "  On  the 
Fourth  of  July  last,  Thomas  Jefferson,  the  renowned 
author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  John 


38  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Adams,  its  ablest  advocate,  ceased  to  live,  thus  sanctify- 
ing by  their  deaths  a  day  rendered  glorious  by  the  most 
important  event  of  their  lives.  That  these  two  fathers 
and  ex-Presidents,  one  of  whom  drafted  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  the  other  seconded  the  motion  which 
led  to  its  adoption,  both  members  of  the  select  commit- 
tee which  reported  it,  and  constituting,  at  the  time  of 
their  deaths,  two  of  the  only  three  surviving  signers  of 
that  memorable  instrument,  should  have  died  on  the 
same  day,  and  that  day  the  fiftieth  anniversary  since 
its  adoption,  is  such  an  extraordinary  co-incidence,  that 
it  would  seem  as  if  heaven  were  desirous  of  increasing 
our  reverence  for  our  liberty,  and  for  the  memory  of 
those  who  were  instrumental  in  achieving  it.  This  mel- 
ancholy bereveament  has  put  the  entire  nation  in  mourn- 
ing, and  it  has  been  a  subject  of  regret  that  the  sparse 
population  of  Illineis  has  prevented  its  citizens  from 
publicly  manifesting  their  respect  for  the  memories  of 
these  two  great  statesman.  But  there  is  one  painful  cir- 
cumstance connected  with  this  event.  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son, after  sixty-one  years'  service  of  his  country,  found 
himself  involved  to  such  an  extent  that  nearly  all  his 
property,  even  Monticello,  his  favorite  residence,  where 
are  now  his  remains,  will  have  to  be  sold." 

And  Gov.  Edwards,  in  his  inaugural  message,  says, 
in  relation  to  the  State  Bank,  whose  notes  were  then 
only  worth  two-thirds  their  face  value  :  "  Money  is  an 
essential  element  of  power.  Character  is  the  means  of 
obtaining  money  from  others,  when  we  have  it  not  of 
our  own.  Character,  therefore,  is  capital,  and  the  loss 
of  it  is  the  most  disastrous  species  of  bankruptcy,  since 


THE    FIRST    PIONEERS.  39 

it  may  find  us  unable  to  help  ourselves,  and  destitute  of 
the  means  of  obtaining  help  from  others.  The  punctual 
observance  of  its  engagements  and  a  fair  and  honest  ful- 
fillment of  all  its  authorized  expectations  are  as  indis- 
pensable to  the  character  of  a  state  as  to  that  of  an  indi- 
vidual." 

In  1826  the  quarter  section  on  which  Ottawa  stands 
was  taken  up  by  Dr.  David  Walker,  father  of  David 
Walker,  Esq.,  and  of  George  Walker,  first  sheriff  of  La- 
Salle  county.  There  arrived,  also,  Col.  J.  D.  Thomas  and 
James  Walker.  The  latter  afterward  removed  to  Plain- 
field,     The  same  year 

MARK   BEAUBIEN 

became  a  fur  trader  at  Chicago,  and  soon  after  com- 
menced those  log  cabin  and  Saganash  House  experiences 
which  hav6  made  his  name  famous  wherever  western  his- 
tory is  known.  Mark  has  chosen  Newark,  within  the 
borders  of  Kendall  county,  as  the  spot  on  which  to  spend 
his  closing  days,  and  there,  with  his  cherished  pipe  and 
violin  and  numerous  friends,  he  lives  in  retired  peace — 
one  of  our  most  interesting  mementoes. 

He  was  born  in  Detroit,  April  25,  1800  ;  came  to 
Chicago  with  his  family  in  a  wagon,  1826,  and  joined 
his  brother,  John  B.  Beaubien,  who  had  been  a  trader 
there  since  1817,  having  purchased  his  residence  of  the 
American  Fur  Company.  That  year  Mark  planted  pota- 
toes and  corn  in  the  field  along  the  river,  embracing  the 
court  house  square.  In  1829  he  opened  a  log  hotel,  on 
what  is  now  the  corner  of  Lake  and  Market  streets,  and 
the  following  year  established  a  ferry  at  the  fork  of  the 
river,  paying  a  county  license  therefor.     The  rales  were 


40  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

sixpence  for  a  foot  passenger  and  a  shilling  for  a  team. 
In  1833  the  Saganash  House  a  two-story  frame,  with 
green  blinds,  supplanted  the  log  house.  Saganash  was 
the  Indian  name  of  Billy  Caldwell,  a  Pottawatomie 
chief,  and  the  grateful  man  left  Mr.  Beaubien  a  govern- 
ment reservation  of  eighty  acres  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Calumet,  which  is  now  quite  valuable.  Mr.  Beaubien 
lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Naperville  eight  years,  from 
1844.  In  1852  he  became  keeper  of  the  Chicago  light- 
house, removing  in  1861  to  Naperville,  and  soon  back 
to  Chicago  again.  He  has  also  lived  in  Manteno  and 
Kankakee.  He  has  raised  a  family  of  twenty-three 
children,  most  of  whom  are  living  and  doing  well,  though 
scattered  in  different  localities. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

holderman's  grove. 
N  1826,  or  perhaps  the  year  following, 

ROBERT    BERESFORD, 

v,ite  and  two  sons,  settled  at  the  southern 
point  of  Holderman's  grove,  on  one  of  the 
newly  located  sections  of  what  was  known 
as  Seminary  land,  and  thus  became  the  first 
actual  settler  in  Kendall  county. 

THE    SEMINARY    LAND 

was  a  donation  of  thirty-six  sections  from  the  United 
States  to  the  State  of  Illinois,  for  the  purpose  of  found- 
ing a  State  college.  They  could  be  located  anywhere  on 
the  public  lands,  and  Governor  Edward  Coles  in  1825-0 
caused  twenty-six  of  the  sections  to  be  located  by  a 
Board  of  Commissioners,  and  reserved  from  general  sale. 
In  locating  one  section  at  Holderman's,  the  Board  left 
civilization  far  behind,  but  their  attention  w^as  probably 
directed  there  by  the  canal  survey,  and  they  acted  on 
the  best  information  they  could  obtain.  But  if  they 
could  have  once  feasted  their  eyes  upon  the 

GLORIOUS    LANDSCAPES 

south  and  west  of  the   famous   little  grove  they   would 

have  been  in  no  doubt  about   the   propriety   of  driving 

.•I 


42  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

their  stakes  there.  It  is  situated  on  the  broad,  swelling 
water  shed  between  the  Fox  and  Illinois  rivers,  and  is  a 
fit  beginning  to  a  country  that  has  as  many  magnificent 
views  an<l  delicious  bits  of  landscape  in  proportion  to  its 
size  as  any  county  in  the  State.  There  are  no  high  hills 
in  Kendall  county,  yet  from  some  points  thirty  miles 
can  be  seen  in  one  direction,  and  townships  unroll  like  a 
panorama  before  the  eye.  The  range  i^  not  so  extensive 
along  the  county  line  road  from  David  Wheeler's  around 
to  Holderman's,  but  for  beauty  it  is  unsurpassed. 

Probably  in  1826  also 

PIERCE    HAWLEY 

followed  Mr.  Beresford  from  Ottawa,  and  located  about 
a  mile  from  him  on  the  north  end  of  the  grove,  close  to 
the  survey,  or  Indian  boundary  line.  These  two  cabins 
were  for  a  year  the  only  ones  on  the  eighty  miles  be- 
tween Chicago  and  Ottawa. 

In  1827  or  thereabouts,  Moses  Booth,  one  of  the  first 
pioneers  of  this  country,  came  to  Ottawa.     That  summer 

REUBEN    REED, 

with  a  little  family,  moved  from  Ohio  to  Chicago. 
While  there,  October  1st,  1827,  a  son  was  born,  who  is 
now  Levi  Reed,  of  Pekin,  111.  If  not  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Chicago,  he  certainly  antedates  several  who 
have  claimed  to  be  the  first. 

Late  in  November  Mr.  Reed  went  the  lonely  road  to 
Ottawa,  and  feeling  better  suited  with  that  place  than 
with  Chicago,  sent  back  a  team  for  his  family.  The 
weather  was  cold,  but  bravely  wrapping  herself  and  little 
ones  as  warmly  as  possible,  the  mother   started  on  the 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE  REED  FAMILY.         43 

journey.  Her  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Bailey  ;  she 
deserves  to  be  remembered.  They  forded  the  O'Plain 
near  Riverside  well  enough,  but  at  Plainfield  the  driver 
had  to  cut  the  ice  before  he  could  ford  the  DuPage. 

They  remained  over  night  at  Beresford's,  and  in  the 
morning,  though  it  was  steadily  snowing,  pursued  the 
slow  tenor  of  their  way.  But  the  snow  came  thicker, 
the  driver  lost  the  trail,  and  at  night  they  found  them- 
selves at  Beresford's  again,  having  made  a  circle  on  the 
prairie. 

It  was  then  decided  that  James  Beresford,  one  of  the 
sons — afterwards  killed  at  Indian  creek — should  pilot 
them  through.  But  it  was  very  cold,  and  he  had  no 
overcoat ;  nor  was  there  an  overcoat  in  the  settlement 
to  borrow.  Fortunately,  however,  there  was  material 
found  to  make  one,  and  at  it  they  went  the  next  day. 
In  the  course  of  the  day  they  lacked  a  needle,  and 
Ansel  Reed,  the  oldest  boy,  then  nine  years  old,  was 
sent  around  the  grove  to  Mr.  Hawley's  to  borrow  one. 
And  with  the  borrowed  needle  the  coat  was  finished. 

Half  a  century  has  passed  since  then,  and  Ansel  Reed 
is  getting  to  be  an  old  man,  but  he  remembers  still  the 
first  journey  he  took  in  Kendall  county.  Having  lodged 
the  third  night  at  Beresford's,  they  starrted  again  the 
following  day  and  reached  Ottawa  in  safety,  where  the 
father  had  secured  quarters  for  them  at  David  Walker's, 
by  the  spring.  In  a  little  while  they  moved  out  a  mile 
and  a  half  into  a  small  cabin  owned  by  Col.  Sears,  and 
afterwards  went  on  a  claim  owned  by  Mr.  Pembrook. 
Moses  Booth  was  on  Covill's  creek,  three  miles  southwest 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Fox. 


44  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

In  1828  Mr.  Beresford  sold  to  John  Dougherty  and 
moved  back  to  Ottawa.  The  same  year  two  new  neigh- 
bors settled  on  the  Seminary  section  adjoining  Mr. 
Dougherty.  One  was  Mr.  Edmond  Weed,  and  the  other 
was 

VETAL  VERMET, 

an  enterprising  Indian  trader,  who  in  his  journeys  between 
Peoria  and  Detroit,  used  to  stop  at  Dr.  Walker's,  and 
lost  his  heart  to  Miss  Huldah,  one  of  the  daughters.  It 
was  the  end  of  his  trading.  They  were  married  in 
1828,  and  going  out  on  the  prairie,  settled  down  near 
that  favored  and  favorite  spot  first  commended  by  the 
canal  surveyors,  and  then  known  as  "  Beresford's." 
Being  also  on  the  direct  line  from  Chicago  to  Ottawa,  it 
was  presumably  a  fine  point  for  a  tavern,  and  might  in 
time  become  a  village  and  go  ahead  of  Chicago.  The 
feat  did  not  appear  difficult,  for  of  the  two  the  splendid 
little  grove  on  the  highland  was  by  far  the  best  site. 
Chicago  was  a  butt  for  the  ridicule  of  travelers,  and  was 
only  a  hamlet  at  most.  In  1827  its  tax  amounted  to 
three  dollars,  so  it  is  said,  and  the  Sheriff  of  Vermillion 
county  paid  it  out  of  his  own  pocket  rather  than  travel  the 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  intervening  between  its 
quaking  swamps  and  the  county  seat.  The  four  families 
now  of  Hawdey,  Dougherty,  Weed,  and  Vermet  consti- 
tuted the  settlement.  There  was  besides  a  man  by  the 
name  of 

COUNTRYMAN, 

who  had  married  an  Indian  wife,  and  lived  with  the 
Indians  in  the  grove  across  the  slough,  three-(iuarters  of 
a  mile  from  Dougherty's.       lie   liad  a  log  cabin    on  the 


KENDALL    CEDED    BY   THE    INDIANS.  45 

edge  of  the  slough,  about  eighty  rods  from  the  present 
residence  of  William  Stephen,  and  a  bark  wigwam  in 
the  middle  of  the  grove.  His  Indian  name  meant  Sand 
Hill  Crane.  His  squaw,  a  sensible,  hard-working  woman, 
after  some  years,  left  him,  and  died  of  small  pox  at  Mil- 
waukee. He  was  one  of  those  characters  found  on  every 
frontier,  who,  either  indolent  or  unfortunate,  take  up 
with  a  wandering,  barbarous  life  as  an  escape  from  the 
toils  or  restrictions  of  civilization. 

A  half-breed,  Francois  Bourbonnais,  jr.,  or  "  Bull 
Bony,"  as  the  settlers  called  him,  resided  on  the  mission 
premises  at  Mission  Point.  Mr.  Vermet  and  the  other 
settlers  at  the  grove,  used  to  go  there  to  grind  their  corn 
in  a  horse  mill  which  was  owned  by  the  mission,  and  which 
was  the  only  grist  mill  within  reach  in  those  days. 

In  October  William  Marquis  and  his  little  family  came 
from  Ohio  and  settled  beyond  Morris,  the  first  settlers  in 
Grundy  county. 

In  1829,  by  a  treaty  made  at  Prairie  Du  Chien,  the 
Indians  ceded  to  the  government  the  territory  north  of 
the  old  boundary  line,  and  thus  Kendall  county  was 
open  to  settlers.  But  a  large  portion  of  the  Indians 
were  unwilling  to  sell.  Black  Hawk  and  Keokuk  were 
rival  chiefs,  and  the  former  declared  that  the  latter  signed 
away  lands  that  he  had  no  right  to.  A  feeling  of  resent- 
ment had  been  growing  for  years.  The  whites  were 
encroaching.  The  hunting  grounds  were  being  spoiled. 
Promises  made  at  former  treaties  had  been  badly  kept. 
The  representations  made  at  the  canal  treaty  thirteen 
years  before  had  not  been  realized.  And  now  it  appeared 
to  the  restive  Indians,  that  the  whites,  having  for  years 


46  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

been  robbing  them  piece-meal,  were  at  last  resolved  to 
take  the  whole.  It  was  inevitable,  certainly,  but  the 
Indian  lacked  both  the  wisdom  to  understand  and  the 
philosophy  to  accept  the  inevitable.  However,  the  treaty 
was  made,  burdened,  as  usual,  with  special 

RESERVATIONS 

in  favor  of  whoever  should  show  a  claim  or  had  friends 
influential  enough  to  make  one.  The  Pottawatomie 
war  chief,  Waubonsie,  obtained  a  reserve  of  a  hunting 
ground  of  five  miles  square  near  Aurora.  Two  reserves 
were  granted  in  Kendall  county.  One  of  a  quarter  sec- 
tion to  an  Indian  called  Mohahwa,  who  had  rendered 
some  important  service  or  other,  hence  called  the  "  Mo- 
hahwa Reserve,"  in  the  town  of  Oswego,  north  end  of 
Aux  Sable  grove.  There  had  been  an  Indian  village  on 
it,  and  a  dancing  ground  which  is  intact  to  this  day. 

The  other  was  three-quarters  of  a  section  on  the  east 
side  of  Aux  Sable  grove,  town  of  Na-au-say,  and  was 
granted  to  Weskesha,  the  Indian  wife  of  David  Lawton. 
Both  these  reservations  were  located  "at  or  near  the 
head  waters  of  the  Aux  Sable."  Lawton  died  five  years 
after.  His  brother  in  1831  kept  a  log  tavern  on  the 
O'Plain,  near  Riverside.  A  section  at  Mission  Point  was 
also  reserved  to  Bourbonnais,  who  sold  it  to  M.  E.  Bowen 
and  John  S.  Armstrong. 

In  1829  the  chapel  cabin,  at  Mission  Point,  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  was  never  rebuilt.  The  cause  of 
the  fire  does  not  appear,  but  it  was  probably  accidental. 

And  so  ended  an  enterprise  which,  although  it  con- 
tinued but  about  five  years,  was  yet  important    enough 


END    OF   THE    MISSION.  47 

to  be  perpetuated  in  the  name  of  the  township  afterward 
formed,  and  the  results  of  which  are  undoubtedly 
recorded  in  heaven  and  will  be  as  permanent  as  eternity. 


CHAPTER  Vll. 


INDIANS,    GROVES    AND    PRAIRIES. 


r  Y   1830  glowing  accounts  of  the  fertile  Illinois 
prairies    began   to  spread   more  extensively 
through  the  older  States,  and  a  tide  of  emi- 
gration set  in,   most,  however,  settling  far-# 
ther  south  than  Kendall  county.     A  famous 

song  of  those  days  ran : 
"  Move  your  family  West 

If  good  health  you  would  enjoy, 
And  cross  at  Dixon's  ferry, 

In  the  State  of  Illinois." 

John  Dixon  was  one  of  the  twelve  original  founders 
of  the  American  Bible  Society,  and  in  1830  settled 
where  Dixon  now  stands,  on  Rock  river.  His  wife  and 
some  of  his  family  were  killed  during  the  Indian  troubles, 
and  he  was  never  himself  afterward. 

In  the  spring  of  the  same  year  Abraham  Trumbo, 
father  of  Mrs.  John  Armstrong,  settled  east  of  Ottawa, 
and  was  joined  in  the  summer  by  Matthias  Trumbo, 
father  of  Mrs.  Joseph  Jackson  and  Mrs.  West  Matlock. 


48  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

Abraham  Lincoln  also  came  with  his  parents  to  Illinois 
that  year. 

August  4th,  1830,  Chicago  was  laid  out  by  authority 
of  the  canal  commissioners,  and  lots  were  sold.  The 
north  side  of  the  river  was  solid  timber,  and  John  Kin- 
zie  cleared  a  patch  for  a  cow  pasture.  Madison  street 
was  the  city  limits.  A  large  pond  occupied  part  of 
Court  House  Square. 

INDIANS 

were  daily  visitors,  for  their  numbers  had  not  then  been 
lessened  by  emigration.  The  Pottawatomies  were  a  fine 
race  of  men  physically,  and  as  an  average  were  more 
intelligent  and  peaceable  than  either  the  Sacs,  who  lived 
over  the  Wisconsin  line,  or  the  Winnebagos,  who  inhab- 
ited the  country  along  the  Rock  river.  Black  Hawk 
was  the  Sac  chief;  Big  Thunder  was  the  Winnebago 
chief.  His  headquarters  were  on  the  Kishwaukee,  at 
Belvidere. 

WAUBONSIE 

was  the  Pottawatomie  chief,  with  headquarters  at  Aurora, 
and  a  smaller  camping-ground  and  favorite  residence  at 
the  mouth  of  Waubonsie  creek,  at  Oswego.  He  has 
been  well  described  as  "a  giant  in  size  and  a  devil  in 
nature."  As  strong  as  a  grizzly  bear,  and  as  ignorant 
and  barbarous  as  the  dogs  that  followed  his  ponies,  he 
was  dreaded  by  his  people  and  feared  and  avoided  by  the 
whites.  Liquor,  no  doubt,  made  him  worse,  for  he 
drank  immoderate  quantities  of  whisky  whenever  he  could 
get  it,  but  he  was  naturally  harsh  and  vindictive.  He 
beat  and  murdered  his  wives  so  habitually  that  perhaps 
it  may  be  said  that  one  of  the  poor  unfortunates  was 


INDIAN    ENCAMPMENTS.  49 

sooner  or  later  left  behind  in  the  soil  of  every  camping- 
ground.  His  bark  wigwam,  at  Oswego,  covered  a  quar- 
ter of  an  acre  of  ground,  and  in  a  hollowed  stump  out- 
side his  squaws  ground  his  corn,  with  a  sweep  and 
pestle.  He  claimed  to  have  eight  hundred  ponies,  and 
some  of  them  were  superb  stock. 

An  Indian  encampment  was  a  novel  and  yet  a  dirty 
sight.  Lazy  men,  homely,  working  women,  ponies, 
dogs  and  children.  The  dogs  were  half  wolf,  appar- 
ently as  useless  as  the  men,  good  for  little  but  to  bark, 
play  with  the  children  and  follow  the  ponies.  Wherever 
they  encamped  for  a  season,  blue  grass  sprung  up  the 
season  following,  and  those  patches  became  both  field 
and  pasture  for  them.  The  squaws  planted  corn  there, 
and  the  ponies  pawing  away  the  winter  snow,  nibbled 
there.     Such  places  were  always  in  the  shelter  of  the 

GROVES. 

There  was  very  little  underbrush  or  second-growth 
timber  in  the  groves,  as  there  is  to-day.  The  prairie 
fires  kept  it  down.  The  old  black  oaks  on  the  uplands 
were  often  useless  to  the  settlers,  so  gnarled  and  tough 
were  they  from  the  constant  fires  of  their  younger  days. 
As  a  consequence,  groves  were  so  open  one  could  see 
through  them,  and  see  the  Indians  as  they  filed  over  the 
prairies  beyond  them.  When  the  fires  ceased,  the  groves 
began  to  spread,  so  that  there  is  more  timber  in  the 
country  to-day  than  there  was  fifty  years  ago.  The 
same  cause  has  doubtless  operated  to  produce  our 

PRAIRIES. 

There  are  three  theories  about  them,  which  we  may 
call  the  soil  theory,  the  rain  theory,  and  the  fire  theory. 


50  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Accordino;  to  the  first,  prairie  soil  is  not  adapted  to  the 
growth  of  trees.  But  in  answer  to  that,  we  find  trees 
readily  grow  when  planted.  According  to  the  second, 
lack  of  moisture  is  the  cause,  since  it  is  claimed  more 
rain  falls  along  streams  and  marshes  than  on  uplands. 
But  trees  when  planted  find  moisture  enough.  Accord- 
ing to  the  third  theory,  prairie  fires  were  the  cause,  and 
this  was  the  current  theory  among  the  early  settlers.  It 
is  a  curious  fact  that  a  fire  which  will  destroy  the  last 
vestige  of  life  in  a  tree,  even  burning  the  roots  out 
of  the  ground,  will  let  the  grass  roots  escape  unharmed, 
and  the  next  crop  will  be  more  luxuriant  than  before. 
But  for  the  streams  and  marshes  which  protected  them, 
we  should  probably  have  had  no  groves,  and  but  for  the 
fires  we  should  probably  have  had  no  prairies.  So  all 
things  have  been  shaping  for  good,  and  are  tokens  of  the 
Divine  Hand,  which  first  created  and  then  prepared  and 
preserved  the  country  for  the  working  race  that  occupy  it. 
In  this  countv  the  new  settlers  were  limited  to  five 
men. 

PETER    SPECIE 

and  Stephen  Sweet  left  the  swampy  lake  village  of 
twelve  houses,  to  prospect  in  the  country,  and  settled  on 
a  claim  in  Specie  grove. 

They  were  unmarried,  and  kept  house  for  themselves 
in  their  own  little  cabin,  with  nothing  but  reports  to  mo- 
lest or  make  them  afraid.  It  was  known  that  there  was 
a  general  dissatisfaction  among  the  Indians,  but  the 
reports  of  intended  hostilities  were  too  distant  and  vague 
to  be  alarming  to  pioneers  who  had  lived  among  the  In- 
dian people  a  large  part  of  their  lives. 


EARLY    SETTLERS.  51 

In  the  spring  of  the  year 

BAILEY   nOBSON 

came  to  Vetal  Vermet's  in  search  of  a  home,  and  staying 
with  him  over  night,  passed  on  toward  the  Fox  river, 
and  made  his  claim  in  the  timber  below  Newark,  far 
away  from  any  neighbor.  He  then  returned  to  Ohio  for 
his  family,  and  with  them  and  a  friend  by  the  name  of 
L.  Stewart,  arrived  at  Vermet's  again  at  midnight  of 
September  12th.  They  stayed  with  Mr.  Vermet  until 
the  middle  of  October,  during  which  time  they  sowed 
some  winter  wheat  and  cut  and  put  up  a  stack  of  hay  on 
the  edge  of  the  Big  Slough.  Then  removing  to  the 
claim  they  lived  in  a  tent  until  the  log  cabin  was  ready, 
about  November  1st,  when,  work  being  done,  Mr.  Hob- 
son  went  out  exploring  again,  and  selected  the  site  known 
as  Hobson's  mill  on  the  DuPage  river  as  a  new  claim. 

The  succeeding  winter  was  a  hard  one  for  the  pioneer 
family,  but  they  survived  it,  and  when  the  Indians  com- 
menced making  sugar  in  the  spring  they  moved  first  to 
Vermet's  and  then  to  Scott's,  at  Naperville,  near  their 
new  home.  Walter  Selvey,  a  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Dough- 
erty, came  that  year,  if  not  a  year  or  two  previous,  and 
settled  on  a  quarter  section  of  the  Seminary  land. 

There  were  then  in  1830 

NINE    FAMILIES 

in  the  county — Dougherty  and  Selvey  on  the  south  of 
Holderman's  grove,  Vermet  on  the  knoll  at  the  south- 
west corner.  Weed  next  to  him,  and  Hawley  on  the 
north,  Countryman  in  Kellogg's  grove,  Hobson  in  the 
Newark  timber,  and  Lawton,  Sweet  and  Specie  in  the 
Aux  Sable  timber.     But  Lawton  and  Countryman  were 


52  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY. 

away  with  the  Indians  to  other  hunting  and  trapping 
grounds  during  the  winter. 

Several  new  counties  had  been  formed  out  of  the  broad 
acres  of  Vermillion,  and  the  remainder  was  divided  Jan- 
uary 16th,  1831,  by  the  organization  of  Cook,  LaSalle 
and  Putnam.  Little  Putnam  with  four  townships,  now 
one  of  the  smallest  in  the  State,  was  forty-two  miles 
long.  Cook  was  great ;  beginning  ten  miles  south  of 
Joliet  it  reached  to  the  Wisconsin  line,  seventy-eight 
miles.  It  was  named  after  Daniel  P.  Cook,  our  repre- 
sentative in  Congress,  who  had  rendered  the  Chicago 
villagers  grateful  to  him  for  his  instrumentality  in  secur- 
ing the  alternate  section  grant  for  the  canal. 

LASALLE 

was  forty-eight  miles  square,  the  northern  boundary  be- 
ing the  town  line  between  the  upper  and  middle  row  of 
townships  in  Kendall  county,  passing  close  to  Yorkville. 
Thus  the  north  part  of  our  county  was  left  out  as  unor- 
ganized, but  that  and  all  the  remaining  territory  north 
of  LaSalle  county  to  the  State  line  was  for  the  present 
attached  to  that  county.  Thus  it  included  the  present 
counties  of  LaSalle,  Grundy,  Kendall,  DeKalb,  Kane, 
McHenry  and  Boone,  and  a  part  of  Marshall,  Lee,  Liv- 
ingston, Ogle  and  Winnebago.  The  county  seat  was  at 
Ottawa,  eighty  miles  over  prairies  and  swamps  from 
Stephen  Mack's  trading  post,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Peca- 
tonica.  But  scattering  traders  did  not  care  to  vote,  and 
usually  dispensed  their  own  justice. 

The  first  election  was  held  at  Ottawa,  March  7th. 
George  E.   Walker  was  elected  Sheriff;  Moses  Booth, 


LA  SALLE  COUNTY  ORGANIZED.  53 

Coroner ;  and  John  Green,  James  B.  Campbell  and 
Abraham  Trumbo,  County  Commissioners.  At  the  first 
meeting  of  the  commissioners,  March  21st,  David  Walker 
was  appointed  Clerk,  and  the  county  was  divided  into 
three  election  precincts.  Kendall  county  was  in  the 
third,  embracinti;  also  Grundy,  Kane  and  McHenry.     The 

SPRING    ELECTION 

was  held  at  the  house  of  Vetal  Vermet,  on  the  historical 
knoll  by  the  prairie  grove.  John  Dougherty,  Edmund 
Weed  and  William  Schermerhorn  were  the  judges. 
Whether  or  not  any  came  from  Woodstock  or  Marengo 
or  Harvard  Junction  to  vote,  is  not  recorded,  but  proba- 
bly not.  The  Kendall  county  settlers,  however,  had  an 
official  opportunity  of  meeting  together  and  talking  over 
their  prospects  which  were  undoubtedly  improved.  Sev- 
eral new  comers  were  there,  too,  on  that  second  day  of 
April,  who  had  not  been  in  the  precinct  long  enough  to 
vote,  but  were  interested  in  the  matter  of  prospects. 
The  convenience  of  the  groves,  the  richness  of  the  soil, 
the  advantages  for  stock  raising,  the  probable  trouble 
with  the  Indians,  the  locality  of  desirable  claims,  mem- 
ories of  far  away  friends,  and  incidents  of  frontier  life, 
were  all  discussed,  and  then  on  foot  or  horse-back,  or 
with  the  ox  team,  they  separated  to  their  lonely  cabins. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

OUR  EARLIER  PIONEERS. 

MONG  those  who  came  out  prospecting  in 
the  spring  of  1831  were 

EARL  ADAMS  AND  EBENEZER  MORGAN, 

from  New  York.     Thev  descended  the  Ohio 

ft/ 

to  the  Mississippi,  and  then  up  to  St.  Louis, 
where  buying  ponies,  they  followed  the 
banks  of  the  Illinois  river  to  Ottawa,  and  up  the  Fox 
to  Yorkville.  Reining  up  their  horses  on  the  present 
Court  House  Hill,  they  gazed  on  the  lovely  stream 
below  them,  the  wide,  beautiful  prairies  beyond  them, 
and  the  timber  behind  them.  The  green  was  dotted 
with  flowers,  the  birds  sang  in  the  branches,  and  a  group 
of  deer  stood  gazing  at  the  strangers  from  the  edge  of  a 
hazel  thicket  some  distance  away.  "Here,"  thought 
Mr.  Adams,  "  is  my  home,"  and  dismounting  he  drove 
his  stake  in  the  soil  and  took  possession.  Following  up 
the  river  about  two  miles  farther,  they  came  to  a  creek, 
where  Mr.  Morgan  halted  and  made  his  own  claim. 
This  done,  they  passed  up  to  Chicago,  sold  their  ponies, 
and  returned  home  by  way  of  the  lakes. 

But  before   that,  indeed  as   early  in  the  season  as  it 
was  possible  to  travel, 

GEORGE  AND  CLARK  HOLLENBACK, 

from  Magnolia,  Putnam  county,  and  their  friends  Wil- 


HOLLENBACK   AND    OTHERS    LOCATE.  55 

Ham  Harris  and  Ezra  Ackley,  were  on  the  ground. 
They  were  from  West  Virginia,  and  had  approached  the 
frontier  by  short  stages;  first  to  Ohio,  then  to  the 
Wabash,  and  lastly  to  Magnolia.  The  men  came  first 
on  a  prospecting  tour,  in  the  latter  part  of  March. 
Traveling  on  foot,  they  crossed  the  Fox  river  at  Ottawa, 
passed  over  the  high  prairies  of  the  town  of  Mission  to 
Vermet's,  and  from  there  struck  out  for  the  Big  Woods, 
above  where  Aurora  now  stands.  At  Specie  grove  they 
were  informed  that  the  Big  Woods  country  was  very 
wet,  so  they  did  not  go  as  far  as  they  intended,  but 
encamped  at  a  place  near  Oswego. 

In  the  morning,  while  the  others  prepared  breakfast, 
Mr.  Hollenback  strolled  off  on  a  tour  of  observation, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  found  and  drove  a  stake  on  his 
claim.  But  it  had  been  decided  that  they  should  settle 
together,  and  when  the  others  objected  that  there  was 
not  enough  timber  there  for  all  of  them,  he  relinquished 
his  claim.  Where  now  ?  Mr.  Hollenback  remarked 
that  he  had  noticed  a  large  grove  on  their  left  as  they 
came  up,  which,  from  its  lying  low,  seemed  to  promise 
desirable  shelter  as  well  as  timber  ;  so  it  was  agreed 
that  they  should  return  to  that.  It  was  Hollenback 's 
grove,  near  Millbrook.  They  entered  it  on  the  east 
side,  and  it  was  at  once  settled  that  the  ridge  between 
the  two  creeks  should  be  the  dividing  line,  Ackley  and 
Harris  taking  the  north,  and  Hollenback  the  south. 
And  that  rido-e  is  a  dividins;  line  still. 

Then  they  brought  up  their  families  :  Clark  Hollen- 
back, wife,  daughter  and  three  sons — young  men  ;  George 
Hollenback,  wife,  daughter  and  three   sons,  who    were 


56  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

boys  ;  William  Harris,  wife,  three  daughters  and  four 
sons  ;  Ezra  Ackley,  wife  and  two  daughters ;  Patrick 
Cunningham  and  wife ;  and  William  Brooks, — a  little 
colony  of  twenty-nine  souls.  Clark  IloUenback  settled 
in  the  Newark  timber,  living  in  Hobson's  old  cabin  until 
he  could  build  his  own,  on  the  hill  below  Mr.Needham's. 
Cunningham  put  his  stake  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
timber,  where  John  Boyne  now  lives. 

In  a  few  days  Hobson  happened  along,  and  was  not 
particularly  pleased  at  finding  his  old  house  inhabited  ; 
but  Mr.  Hollenback  satisfied  him,  and  they  j^arted  good 
friends.  But  it  was  the  common  law  of  squatter  days 
that  when  a  man  forsook  his  claim,  it  was  the  rightful 
property  of  whoever  should,  next  claim  it. 

The  others  settled  on  their  respective  claims  and  at 
once  erected  three  shanties,  viz  :  enclosures  of  logs,  cov- 
ered with  bark  and  split  timber,  to  shelter  their  families 
while  the  houses  were  building.  Mr.  Hollenback's  was 
on  Hollenback's  creek,  near  the  present  residence  of  W. 
A.  Hollenback.  Mr.  Harris'  was  near  the  present  site 
of  a  tenant  house  owned  by  Thos.  Atherton,  north  of 
Ackley's  creek,  and  Mr.  Ackley's  was  near  the  ridge, 
midway  between. 

Arrived  on  the  ground  April  18,  they  immediately 
began  to  make  clearings  to  plant  corn,  for  they  had  rather 
plant  among  the  stumps  than  risk  the  prairie  sod.  But 
Clark  Hollenback  broke,  during  the  summer,  fifty-five 
acres  and  fenced  it  in.  It  is  now  Albert  Needham's 
farm. 

GEORGE  B.  HOLLLENBACK, 

the   oldest  son   of  Clark,  started   a  pioneer  blacksmith 


FIRST    FRONTIER    STORE.  57 

shop,  which  he  afterward  sold  to  his  father  and  Mr.  Hol- 
derman.  When  the  summer's  work  was  done,  he  built 
a  log  store  in  the  edge  of  the  grove,  and  going  to  Peoria 
on  horseback,  he  took  the  boat  to  St.  Louis  and  pur- 
chased a  stock  of  Indian  goods  to  the  amount  of  two 
hundred  dollars.  They  were  brought  up  the  Illinois 
river,  and  thence  overland.  This  was  the  beginning  of 
a  frontier  store  which  became  widely  known,  not  only 
among  the  surrounding  settlers,  but  even  in  the  States. 
It  was  the  beginning  of  the  business  of  Newark,  or 
Georgetown,  as,  for  many  years,  it  was  called — after  the 
founder.  His  wife  was  Mrs.  Reynolds,  whose  daughter 
is  Mrs.  A.  D.  Newton,  of  Yorkville.  It  is  perhaps  need- 
less to  say  that  he  sold  but  little  of  his  goods  for  cash, 
but  traded  them  to  the  Indians  for  muskrat  skins. 

Early  in  the  spring,  about  the  time  Geo.  Hollenback 
and  party  came  up  prospecting, 

DANIEL  KELLOGG 

was  on  the  move.  Leaving  Ottawa,  where  he  had  been 
chosen  the  first  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  LaSalle  county, 
he  came  to  Holderman's,  and  crossing  the  narrow 
slough,  bought  oat  Countryman,  at  what  has  ever  since 
been  known  as  Kellogg's  grove.  And  the  Indian  fam- 
ily, packing  their  little  property  on  ponies,  bade  fare- 
well to  their  old  wigwam,  and  filed  out  among  the  trees 
and  over  the  prairie  in  search  of  another  resting  place. 
A  few  weeks  after, 

MOSES  BOOTH, 

on  foot,  with  an  ax  and  gun,  crossed  that  slough,  and 
weary  with  his  journey,  lodged  with  his  friend  and  old 
neighbor,  Mr.  Kellogg.     In  the  morning  he  set  off  pros- 

5 


58  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

pecting,  and  after  exploring  all  day  through  the  towns 
of  Big  Grove  and  Fox,  found  himself  at  dusk  at  the 
infant  settlement  in  Hollenback's  grove.  Mr.  Hollen- 
back's  family  had  arrived  that  day,  and  had  just  estab- 
lished themselves  in  their  new  shanty.  It  aftbrded  but 
little  room,  but  what  frontiersman  was  ever  known  to 
turn  away  the  stranger  ?  Mr.  Booth  was  entertained, 
and  in  the  morning,  when  no  pay  would  be  taken,  he  vol- 
unteered to  cut  down  a  tree,  and  did  so — thus  giving  the 
little  settlement  their  first  lift.  Then  retracing  his  steps 
of  the  previous  day,  he  choose  for  the  site  of  his  cabin 
the  splendid  knoll  on  the  north-east  corner  of  Apakesha 
grove,  now  occupied  by  the  fine  residence  of  Lott  Sco- 
field.  Looking  out  from  among  the  tall  white  oaks  that 
formed  the  border  of  the  grove,  his  eye  could  take  in 
the  wide  sweep  of  level  prairie  to  Plattville,  and  around 
almost  to  Minooka.  It  would  have  been  glorious  to  a 
poetic  temperament,  but  Mr.  Booth  was  a  practical  man, 
and  proceeded  at  once  to  cut  ^'a  set  of  house  logs."  This 
done,  he  brought  his  family,*  which  consisted  of  his 
wife  and 

ANSEL  REED, 

the  boy  who,  four  years  before,  went  through  the  snow 
from  Beresford's  to  Hawley's,  in  search  of  a  needle.  He 
was  a  slim  lad,  not  yet  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  had 
been  bound  to  Mr.  Booth  about  two  years.  The  coun- 
try hiid  changed  somewhat  since  his  previous  trip. 
Instead  of  two  lonely  families,  out  of  sight  of  each 
other — the  only  inhabitants  in  eighty  miles — there  were 
five  houses,  and  other  little  settlements  near  ;  traders 
and  travelers  passing  every  few  days,  and  Indians  every 


THE    OLDEST    HOUSE    IN    KENDALL    COUNTY.  59 

day.  Ansel  Reed  now  owns  a  fine  farm  near  Plattville, 
and  has  a  sister — Mrs.  Emeline  March — at  Bristol  Sta- 
tion. She  was  five  years  old  at  the  time  of  the  journey 
through  Kendall.  Mr.  Booth  remained  at  Kellogg's  a 
few  weeks,  and  rented  of  him  five  acres  of  land,  to 
plant  corn  and  pumpkins.  But  dissatisfied  with  his 
claim,  for  some  reason — perhaps  remembering  the  north- 
east wind — he  made  another  in  the  adjoining  Big  grove, 
where  a  mile  of  heavy  timber  would  be  between  him  and 
the  north  wind  in  any  shape.  There,  about  twenty 
rods  in  the  grove,  on  the  south  side,  he  built  his  house. 
It  was  sixteen  feet  square,  and  Mr.  Kellogg,  his  son 
Ezra,  and  his  hired  man — William  Teal — helped  raise 
it,  Ansel  Reed  looking  on.  It  still  stands,  as  a  part  of 
the  residence  of  J.  W.  Mason,  Esq.,  and  was  not  only 
the  first  house  in  Big  Grove,  but  is,  without  doubt,  the 
oldest  existing  building  in  Kendall  county,  and  as  such 
we  may  hope  it  will  be  long  preserved  and  cherished  as 
a  memento  of  the  days  that  are  past,  and  that  will  come 
again  no  more. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


THE  SHADOW  OF  WAR. 


HILE  Booth  was  building  his  house, 
the  Ament  brothers  arrived  from  Bu- 
reau county,  where  they  had  been  liv- 
ing several  years.  They  were  origin- 
ally from  Livingston  county,  N.  Y., 
in  1824.     The  eldest, 

EDWARD  G.  AMENT, 

worked  a  few  weeks  at  Peoria  for  Joseph  Ogee,  an  In- 
dian interpreter.  Then  came  along  John  Kinzie  and 
Medore  Beaubien — the  latter  a  young  man,  son  of  John 
B.  Beaubien — with  a  Mackinaw  boat  and  a  two  ton  cargo 
of  Indian  goods  for  the  fall  trade.  They  were  on  their 
way  up  from  St.  Louis.  Mr.  Ament  hired  to  Mr.  Kinzie 
for  ten  dollars  a  month,  and  went  with  him.  They  made 
but  slow  progress  working  the  heavy  boat  up  the  stream. 
When  it  would  siet  aground,  Kinzie  and  Beaubien  would 
leap  into  the  cold  water,  and  one  each  end  of  an  oar 
would  push  it  off  again.  But  at  Marseilles  they  found 
it  impos-^ible  to  navigate  further,  and  Mr.  Kinzie,  leav- 
ing the  two  young  men  in  charge  of  the  goods,  went  to 
Chicao[;o  after  ox  teams  and  was-ons.       He  was  silver- 


ament's  early  experiences.  61 

smith  to  the  Indians,  making  silver  ornaments,  brooches, 
bracelets,  &c.,  which  the  wealthy  Indians  freely  indulged 
in,  and  Mr.  Ament's  work  was  to  do  chores,  cut  wood, 
make  hay,  tend  stock,  &c.  There  were  but  seven  fami- 
lies in  the  place.  In  1825  he  hired  to  the  Claibornes, 
four  miles  up  the  north  branch.  There  were  two  broth- 
ers. Archibald  spent  most  of  his  time  trading  with  the 
the  Indians,  while  Henley  helped  work  the  farm.  That 
year  Edward  helped  a  man  by  the  name  of  Vermet  raise 
the  first  log  cabin  on  the  site  of  Evanston.  The  logs, 
instead  of  being  raised  up  on  forked  sticks  as  usual,  were 
pushed  up  on  skids — a  much  easier  process.  In  1826  he 
went  to  the  Galena  lead  mines,  where  his  brothers  were 
getting  twenty-five  dollars  a  month.  He  spent  two  years 
there  working  leads  for  himself,  and  then  removed  to 
Red  Oak  Grove,  Bureau  county,  where  he  and  his 
brothers  were  the  only  settlers  between  Galena  and 
Peoria — fifty  miles  on  one  side  and  one  hundred  on  the 
other.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1831  he  came  up  this 
way,  prospecting,  and  stopping  at  Dougherty's,  met  Peter 
Specie,  his  old  Chicago  friend.  Specie  had  a  little  farm, 
formerly,  about  where  Bridgeport  now  is,  two  or  three 
miles  out  on  the  south  branch,  and  the  good  man  was  in 
such  constant  difiiculty  with  his  neighbors  that  he  sorely 
tried  the  patience  of  Mr.  Kinzie,  then  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  Mr.  Ament,  however,  had  had  no  trouble,  for  he 
had  had  no  deal,  and  Peter  was  glad  to  see  him,  escorted 
him  to  the  cabin  which  he  and  Colonel  Sweet  called 
home,  and  there  Edward  made  his  claim,  and  returned 
for  his  brothers.  Four  came  with  him — Hiram,  Cal- 
vin, xlnson  and  Alfred — all  unmarried,  and  the  young- 


62  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY. 

est,  Alfred,  not  more  than  ten  years  old.  The  eldest 
brother,  Justus,  was  married,  and  remained  behind. 
They  arrived  about  May  10th,  and  set  to  work  at  once 
to  improve  their  claim.  They  were  entitled  to  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  youngest  squatters  in  Kendall 
county. 

About  the  same  time 

GEORGE    HAVENHILL, 

wife  and  two  sons- — Fielding  and  Oliver — and  his  son- 
in-law,  Anthony  Litsey,  entered  the  county.  Mr.  Hav- 
enhill  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1778,  and  emigrated  to 
Tazewell  county,  in  Illinois,  in  1830,  His  brother.Wil- 
liam  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Kentucky.  Mr. 
Litsey  had  a  family  of  four  little  children,  so  that  the 
party  consisted  of  ten  persons.  Part  of  Mr.  Havenhili's 
family  was  for  the  present  left  behind.  They  found  tem- 
porary shelter  at  Mr.  Dougherty's  and  Mr.  Kellogg's, 
and,  renting  a  few  acres  of  land,  planted  it  to  corn.  Mr. 
Litsey  placed  his  stake  on  the  site  abandoned  by  Mr. 
Booth,  and  using  the  logs  already  cut,  erected  his  cabin 
nearly  on  the  site  of  Mr.  Scofield's  present  residence. 

Soon  after  they  arrived,  Countryman,  who  had  moved 
to  Pawpaw  Grove,  came  over  to  get  some  one  to  break  up 
a  corn  patch  for  him,  and  Fielding  Havenhill  was  com- 
missioned by  his  father  to  do  the  work.  With  two  yoke 
of  oxen,  a  plow  and  wagon,  he  undertook  the  journey, 
crossing  the  river  by  the  ford  at  William  Smith's  and 
ate  and  lodged  with  the  Indians  while  he  remained.  The 
squaws  followed  the  plow  in  a  troop,  planting  the  corn 
and  treading  it  in  with  their  feet.  It  was  a  novel  expe- 
rience for  the  young  man,  but  he  acquitted  himself  well. 


THE    HOLDERMAN    FAMILY.  63 

He  brought  back  seed  enough  for  their  own  field  in  Ken- 
dall. The  summer  was  spent  by  the  settlers  in  making 
clearings,  building  cabins,  and  making  ready  for  winter. 
Geo.  Hollenback  was  gone  six  weeks  after  one  grist.  He 
waited  for  the  wheat  to  ripen,  cut  it  with  a  cradle, 
ground  it  in  a  horse  mill,  bolted  it  by  hand,  and  reached 
home  with  it  just  as  the  last  loaf  was  being  divided. 
On  the  last  day  of  October,  1831, 

ABRAHAM    HOLDERMAN 

arrived  with  his  family  at  Dougherty's  and  Kellogg's,  in 
search  of  a  new  home.  He  came  from  Cass  county, 
Ohio,  having  sold  his  property  there,  and  was  the  wealth- 
iest settler  that  had  yet  entered  Kendall  county.  Ansel 
Reed  says  :  "  November  first  was  a  cold,  frosty  morning. 
I  was  up  before  sunrise  and  drove  Mr.  Booth's  oxen  and 
wooden-wheeled  wagon  over  to  Kellogg's  after  a  load  of 
pumpkins  and  there  I  found  the  new-comers." 
Mr.  Holderman  had  eleven  children,  as  follows  : 
Harriet,  now  Mrs.  Peter  Miller  of  Sheridan,  lilinois ; 
Ruianne,  now  Mrs.  Newton  Reynolds,  New  Lenox,  111.  ; 
Matilda,  now  Mrs.  Samuel  Hoag,  Nettle  Creek,  111. ; 
Caroline,  now  Mrs.  Isaac  Hoag,  Morris,  111.  ;  Jane  mar- 
ried and  removed  to  Iowa,  where  she  died  ;  Henry  is  in 
Bates  county,  Missouri ;  Burton,  ditto  ;  Abraham  is  two 
miles  east  of  Seneca,  111. ;  Samuel,  at  Morris,  111.  :  Ja- 
cob is  dead  ;  Dyson  is  on  the  old  homestead,  at  Holder- 
man's  grove. 

Mrs.  Reynolds  was  noted  as  a  fearless  rider,  and  rode 
all  the  way  from  Ohio  on  horseback.  Mrs.  Miller  was 
married,  and  she  and  her  husband  did  not  come  until 
the  next  spring.     Mr.  Holderman's  first  act  was  to  buy 


64  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

out  Walter  Selvey,  who  owned  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  of  which  one-half  lay  in  the  grove.  The  sale  was 
made  before  Daniel  Kellogg,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and 
and  the  deed  was  recorded  Nov.  14,  1831.  It  is  the 
earliest  sale  on  record  in  the  county. 

Two  days  after,  he  bouo!;ht  out  John  Dougherty  and 
Pierce  Hawley — eighty  acres  each.  The  latter  sale  was 
made  before  Stephen  J.  Scott,  a  Naperville  Justice,  who 
happened  to  be  present.  Willard  and  Hadassah  Scott 
were  witnesses.  The  other  was  made  before  Mr.  Kel- 
logg, with  Bailey  Hobson  as  witness.  Edmund  Weed, 
with  his  one  hundred  and  twenty- eight  acres,  held  out 
for  a  month,  and  then  sold.  The  affidavits  were  made 
at  Mr.  Kellogg's,  with  Edward  A.  Rogers  as  witness. 
Deed  recorded  December  20th.  Mr.  Vermet  did  not  sell 
until  the  following  year.  Mr.  Holderman  now  owned 
the  largest  part  of  the  Seminary  section — the  only  land 
in  Kendall  county  which  was  in  the  market,  and  to 
which  a  title  could  be  given.  Mr.  Dougherty  and  Mr. 
Selvey  went  over  to  the  Aux  Sable  grove  and  took  up 
claims  near  the  Lawton  reservation,  where  they  remained 
several  years,  but  finally  emigrated  to  Oregon. 

Walter  Selvey  was  undoubtedly  the  first  settler  in 
Na-au-say,  his  claim  covering  the  farm  now  owned  by 
David  Goudie.  Mr.  Dougherty  went  into  the  timber 
nearly  a  mile  north  of  Selvey's,  where  was  a  fine  spring 
of  w  ater,  and  cleared  up  a  little  field  with  as  much  labor 
and  patience  as  if  prairie  flowers  did  not  bloom  all 
around  him.  Mr.  Selvey  returned  a  few  years  ago  to 
Aurora,  and  died  there  in  1876. 

Mr.  Weed  after  a  while  went  to  California. 


FIRST   WHITE    CHILB    IN    KENDALL.  65 

December  1,  in  George  Hollenback's  cabin,  Geo.  M. 
Hollenback  was  born,  the  first  white  child  born  in  Ken- 
dall county,  and  to-day  is  one  of  our  most  valued  citi- 
zens. 

THE  WINTER 

set  in  early,  and  was  known  as  "the  winter  of  the  deep 
snow."  The  Indian  ponies  were  unable  to  find  their 
usual  feed,  and  some  of  them  died.  It  was  a  lonely 
time  for  the  settlers,  though  none  of  them  suffered  for 
want  of  provisions,  of  which  corn  was  the  chief.  It  was 
ground  by  beating  it  in  a  pestle  made  out  of  a  block  cut 
from  a  tree.  An  iron  wedge  answered  for  a  mortar  to 
pound  it  with.  The  mail  facilities  were  far  between. 
The  nearest  office  was  at  Ottawa.  The  next  nearest  was 
at  Chicago,  where  a  half-breed  was  the  mail  carrier.  He 
made  trips  twice  a  week  from  Niles,  Michigan,  and 
easily  carried  the  entire  mail  in  one  pouch,  pony-back. 
So  closed  the  year  1831.  It  was  signalized  by  new 
cabins,  and  clearings,  but  the  next  was  to  be  signalized 
by  the 

TERROR  OF  WAR. 

Not  all  the  Indians  were  involved  ;  it  is  Black  Hawk 
and  his  turbulent  Sacs  who  must  bear  the  blame.  And 
yet  there  were,  doubtless,  those  who  were  more  blame- 
worthy still,  viz:  Indian  agents,  who,  to  secure  treat- 
ies, often  made  utterly  false  representations  and  prom- 
ises that  were  never  kept — and  then  cheated  in  the  pay- 
ment of  the  annuities,  so  as  to  secure  a  share  for  them- 
selves. There  was  a  current  conviction  with  some 
classes  that  among  white  men  Indians  had  no  estab- 
lished rights.       As  a  gigantic   instance  of  this  see  the 


6Q  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

Cherokee  lottery,  which  was  taking  place  the  very  year 
now  under  consideration — 1831. 

The  Cherokee  nation  owned  one  million  acres  of  land 
in  Georgia.  There  were  gold  mines  on  some  parts  of  it. 
The  Georgians  wanted  it.  The  Cherokees  declined  to 
sell.  The  State  declared  the  land  seized  and  ordered 
it  disposed  of  by  lottery.  The  gold  lands  were  divided 
into  35,000  lots,  of  forty  acres  each,  and  the  remainder 
into  18,000  farms  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  each. 
Any  freeholder  was  to  send  in  his  name  and  have  a 
chance  of  securing,  without  any  adequate  money  or 
price,  a  share  of  the  coveted  spoils.  Eighty-five  thous- 
and men  wanted  farms,  and  sent  in  their  names.  The 
gold  fields  were  more  attractive,  and  were  competed  for 
by  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  thousand  persons. 
There  were  about  four  blanks  to  a  prize.  The  drawing 
was  made  at  Milledgeville.  There  were  two  mission- 
aries of  the  American  Board,  Messrs.  Worcester  and 
Butler,  with  the  Indians.  They  w^ere  their  pastors  and 
teachers,  and  feeling  the  utter  injustice  of  the  entire 
proceeding,  gave  their  counsels  against  it.  Refusing  to 
remove  from  ther  fields  of  labor,  they  were  forcibly 
taken,  and  spent  sixteen  months  in  the  penitentiary. 
Again  and  again  they  were  offered  their  freedom  if  they 
would  cease  teaching  among  the  Cherokees  ;  but  they 
would  not  yield.  The  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  decided 
against  the  State  courts,  but  the  decision  was  not  regarded. 
At  last  they  were  released,  and  went  back  to  their  work. 

Black  Hawk's  warriors  had  no  such  provocation,  but 
were  simply  irritated  by  a  long  accumulation  of  causes. 
It  was  a  war  of  revenge,  in  which  they  expected  not  to 


COMMENCEMENT    OF    WAR. 


67 


conquer,  but  to  kill.  And  like  a  sudden  thunder  burst 
it  swept  down  upon  the  lonely  clearings  of  Northern 
Illinois. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    FIRST    BLOODSHED. 

jNE  OF  the  most  prominent  names  con- 
nected with  the  struggle  of  1832,  is 
that  of 

SHABBONA, 

the  peace  chief  of  the  Pottawatomies. 

He  belonged  originally  to  the  Ottaw^as, 
of  Canada,  and  was  born  near  Montreal,  about  1775. 
While  yet  a  young  man,  in  company  with  a  number  of 
his  tribe  he  joined  the  Pottawatomies,  who  were  also 
from  Canada  and  had  emigrated  to  the  Northwest  in  an 
early  day.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Northern  Illi- 
nois, where  detachments  of  his  tribe  had  for  many  years 
had  their  hunting  grounds.  In  1832  Shabbona  came 
into  prominence  as  the  firm  opposer  of  the  fiery  chief  of 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes  They  were  both  old  men — one 
near  sixty  and  the  other  near  seventy  years  of  age — and 
had  been  associates  under  the  mighty  Tecumseh.  Black 
Hawk's  town,  at  Rock  Island,  had  been  burned  and  he 
and  his  tribe  driven    over    the   river   into    Iowa :    and 


68  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

the  treaty  stipulations  under  \yhich  it  was  done,  he 
claimed  had  been  obtained  frandulently.  He  burned  for 
revenge.  The  Winnebagoes,  occupying  the  country  west 
of  Rock  river,  spoke  a  dialect  of  the  Sac  language  and 
were,  therefore,  foreigners  to  the  Pottawatomies.  But 
they  were  neighbors,  with  common  interests,  and  upon 
these  two  tribes  the  aged  Black  Hawk  depended  for  help 
in  the  contemplated  war.  He  sent  messengers  to  them 
to  represent  his  cause,  and  finally 

A    GRAND    COUNCIL 

of  the   Pottawatomies  to  consider  the  matter,  was  held 

on  the  O'Plaine  river,  a  few  miles  west  of  Chicago.   Geo. 

F.  Walker,    Sheriff  of  LaSalle  county,  was  present  by 

invitation.     The  result   of  a  long  conference  was  that 

the  tribe  resolved  not  to  take  part  in   the  war,  and  at 

the  close,  Mr.  Walker  and  the  renowned  Billy  Caldwell 

gathered  a  band  of  one  hundred  braves  for  the  defence 

of  the  settlements,  and  put  them  under  the   charge  of 

Waubonsie.      During  the   war  they  marched  as  far  as 

Dixon,  but  soon  evaporated,  without  accomplishing  much. 

As  soon  as  the  decision  was  reached,  Shabbona  made  a 

visit  to  his  old  companion-in-arms  at  the  Des  Moines 

river.     He  represented  to  him  how  numerous  and  strong 

the  Americans  were,  and  besought  him  not   to  open  a 

war  which  could  but  end  in  his  destruction. 

It  was  surely 

A    SCENE 

worthy  of  preservation — those  old  chiefs,  life-long  friends 
as  they  had  been,  now  drifting  apart  on  the  old  and  hard 
question  of  devotion  to  the  white  man.  One,  determined 
and  bitter — the  other,  anxious  and  pleading  ;  one,  burn- 


SHABBONA   AND    BLACK    HAWK.  69 

ing  under  a  sense  of  insult  and  injury — the  other,  con- 
scious of  friendship  and  favor.  0,  the  hard  lines  of  some 
lives  !  It  is  the  rule  that  every  man  is  the  architect  of 
his  own  fortune ;  yet,  is  there  not  something  to  be  said 
about  the  election  of  circumstances?  We  often  go  a  way 
we  know  not.  Fate  is  the  child  of  sin,  but  is  none  the 
less  sad.  How  good  it  is  that  in  the  great  gulf  stream 
of  the  gospel  all  counter  life- currents  may  be  swallowed 
up,  and  forever !  And  it  is,  whosoever  will !  Shab- 
bona's  arguments  were  in  vain.  The  die  was  cast.  The 
dark-visaged  Sac  chief  and  his  eager  warriors  had  set  out 
for  Illinois  and  ruin — and  that  so  speedily  that  there 
was  no  time  to  be  lost.  Meantime  the  Kendall  county 
settlers  were  busy  about  their 

SPRING   WORK. 

Beins:  once  assured  that  their  own  Pottawatomies  were 
peaceful,  they  dismissed  all  serious  thoughts  of  danger 
from  their  minds,  and  went  on  plowing  and  sowing  and 
laying  many  plans  for  the  future.  The  plans  were  not 
all  of  work,  either,  for  Cupid  visited  those  virgin  groves. 
On  May  1st,  Edward  G.  Ament  was  married  to  Miss 
Emily  Ann,  daughter  of  Wm.  Harris.  Rev.  Isaac  Scar- 
ritt  performed  the  ceremony.  It  was  the  first  marriage 
within  the  present  limits  of  Kendall  county,  and  they 
took  their  wedding  trip  two  weeks  afterward,  when  they 
fled  from  the  Indians. 

EARLY   IN    MAY 

the  ao-ed  Black  Hawk  and  his  turbulent  braves  crossed 
the  Mississippi  at  Rock  Island,  then  Fort  Armstrong, 
and  passed  up  the  north  side  of  Rock  river.  Gen.  At- 
kinson, in  command  at  the  Fort,  followed  them  as  soon 


70  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

as  possible,  passing  up  on  the  south  side,  and  so  the  long 
threatened  war  was  fairly  begun.  At  Dixon's  a  force 
of  volunteers  had  assembled,  under  Major  Stillman, 
which  probably  deterred  the  Indians  from  showing  them- 
selves at  the  ferry  there ;  for,  making  the  circuit  of  the 
great  bend,  they  crossed  at  Byron,  thirty  miles  above. 
Major  Stillman's  company  marched  up  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  and  on  the  edge  of  a  grove  at 

stillman's  run, 
near  Byron,  they  discerned  some  mounted  Indians.  At 
once  a  part  of  the  volunteers — without  any  military 
order — dashed  away  in  pursuit,  but  soon  found  them- 
selves attacked  by  a  larger  force  than  they  anticipated, 
and  began  to  retreat.  A  panic  seized  the  others,  and  it 
was  at  once  apparent  that  nothing  more  could  be  done 
that  day  but  for  each  man  to  save  himself  They  struck 
out  for  Dixon's,  and  from  midnight  until  morning  con- 
tinued to  arrive  in  parties  of  three  and  four  on  horse- 
back and  on  foot.  The  serious  part  of  it  appeared  the 
next  morning  at  roll  call,  when  forty-two  did  not  answer 
their  names,  though  all  but  twelve  afterward  turned  up. 
The  ludicrous  side  was  illustrated  by  the  speech,  after 
roll  call,  of  a  volunteer  who  had  formerly  been  a  Ken- 
tucky militia  captain.  Mounting  a  stump,  he  congratu- 
lated his  brethren  in  arms  on  their  escape  from  a  savage 
foe,  expressed  sorrow  for  those  who  had  fallen,  and  con- 
cluded: "Sirs,  Bonaparte  or  Wellington  never  com- 
manded better  disciplined  forces.  But  the  most  impos- 
ing scene  of  all  was  their  outflanking  us ;  they  out- 
flanked us  in  the  majesty  of  their  greatness,  and  their 
muskets  glistened  in  the  moonbeams!" 


INDIANS    IN    COUNCIL.  71 

In  the  absence  of  supplies,  Dixon's  oxen  were  killed 
and  eaten  without  bread  or  salt. 

Gen.  Atkinson  arrived  that  day,  and  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  the  scene  of  action,  and  buried  the  twelve 
dead.  They  were  shockingly  mutilated  and  dismem- 
bered, and  were  reverently  gathered  and  interred  in  a 
common  grave.  Thus  the  soil  of  Ogle  county  drank 
the  first  blood  of  the  war.  Afterwards,  at  the  battle  of 
the  Wisconsin,  the  war  cry  of  the  whites  was,  ''  No 
Stillman's  Run  here!"  and  the  issue  proved  it. 

Passing  rapidly  through  the  territory  of  the  Winne- 
bagoes,  who  were  more  than  half  friendly  to  his  cause, 
his  bands  scouring  the  country  in  various  directions, 
Black  Hawk,  on  the  evening  of  the  14th,  or  early  in  the 
morning  of  the  15th,  reached 

FOX    RIVER, 

at  Post's  Mill.  He  was  met  by  the  Pottawatomie  chiefs 
and  their  braves  on  that  remarkable  hill,  or  natural 
fortress,  sometimes  called  Black  Hawk's  Mound.  It  is 
a  spur  of  limestone  sixty  or  eighty  feet  high,  isolated 
from  the  main  ridge  by  a  wide  ravine,  and  washed  on 
the  remaining  sides  by  Little  Rock  creek.  The  top  is 
covered  with  trees,  and  is  broad  enough  for  a  tribe  to 
encamp  at  once.  It  has  probably  been  used  from  ancient 
times  as  an  Indian  fortress  and  council  ground,  as  many 
old  relics  have  been  found  there.  At  this  council,  so 
tradition  tells  us,  Black  Hawk  made  the  leading  speech, 
and  used  all  his  eloquence  to  persuade  the  others  to 
rescind  their  action  at  the  O'Plain  council,  raise  the 
tomahawk,  and  help  to  drive  the  white  man  from  their 


72  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

lands.  On  the  other  hand  Shabbona,  with  less  eloquence 
but  more  reason,  again  presented  the  argument  for  re- 
fraining from  war.  It  was  in  vain.  Not  only  were  the 
Sacs  unconvinced,  but  many  of  the  Pottawatomies  were 
in  sympathy  with  them.  Upon  Shabbona  now  depended 
the  safety  of  the  little  settlements  in  Kendall  county, 
with  their  seventy  souls.  Messengers  had  been  dis- 
patched from  Dixon's  to  alarm  them,  but  were  inter- 
cepted and  probably  put  to  death  by  one  of  Black  Hawk's 
bands,  and  the  peaceful  Pottawatomie  chief  alone  re- 
mained. 

It  seems  strongly  probable  that  the  Indians  who  made 
the  trouble  in  this  county  were  Pottawatomies,  neigh- 
bors of  the  settlers,  with  perhaps  a  few  Sacs  for  leading 
spirits.  It  is  certain  that  many  Pottawatomies  left  their 
tribe  and  joined  the  various  marauding  bands  under 
Black  Hawk,  and  others,  doubtless,  who  did  not  go  away, 
were  as  eager  for  plunder  at  home.  They  had  decided, 
as  a  tribe,  not  to  engage  in  the  war,  and  this  gave  a  false 
idea  of  security  to  the  settlers  and  came  near  costing 
them  their  lives. 

When  Shabbona  found  that  he  could  not  control  the 
council,  and  that  even  his  own  people  were  breaking 
awav  from  him,  he  at  once  acted.  It  was  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon,  and  a  short  space  of  sunlight  was  all  that 
was  left,  for  he  felt  that  with  the  darkness 

THE    FATAL    BLOW 

would  fall.  He  had  a  nephew,  a  fine  young  fellow  by 
the  name  of  Pyps — called  Peppers  for  short  by  the  set- 
tlers— and  who  was  well  known  to  all  acquainted  with 
Shabboiia's  camp.      Tliis  young  man   Shabbona  at  once 


THE    INDIAN    WAR. 


73 


despatched,  telling  him  to  go  by  way  of  George  Hollen- 
back's.  For  some  reason,  however,  he  did  not  go  there, 
but  gave  the  alarm  first  at  George  B.  Hollenback's,  and 
passed  on  to  Holderman's.  Shabbona  himself  waited 
until  the  assembly  broke  up,  and  then  stole  away  and 
rode  at  express  speed  to  spread  the  alarm  further  south. 


CHAPTER  XI 


THE  FLIGHT  ! 

UST  AS  young  Peppers  rode  up  to  Geo. 
B.  Hollenback's,  his  wife  was  setting  sup- 
per, and  he  had  washed  and  was  wiping 
on  the  towel,  when  the  Indian  said,  with- 
out dismounting:  "The  Sacs  are  com- 
ing !"  Mr.  H.  made  some  light  reply  ; 
but  the  other  added :  "  My  friend,  I  am 
in  earnest ;  go  at  once  if  you  will  save  your  lives."  His 
wife  and  step-daughter  took  the  alarm  at  once,  and  drop- 
ping their  work,  hurried  over  to  Clark  Hollenback's 
with  the  warning.  Clark  himself  had  gone  to  Ottawa 
to  get  a  plow  sharpened  and  do  some  other  business  ; 
and  here,  too,  the  women  were  frightened,  and  to  keep 
close  to  the  truth,  the  boys  were  slightly  nervous,  as 
well.  Thomas,  mounting  an  unbroken  colt,  started  to 
alarm  his  uncle  George,  and  one  of  the  others  ran  over 
to  Cunningham's.     The  women,  with  what  articles  they 

6 


74  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

could  carry,  were  mounted  on  tlie  horses,  the  men  on  foot, 
and  so  they  left  for  the  fort  at  Ottawa.  The  prairie  grass 
was  green,  and  wild  flowers  were  growing  where  Newark 
now  stands,  but  the  fugitives  had  no  heart  or  time  to 
admire  beauty,  save  the  beauty  of  seeing,  as  they  now 
and  then  looked  behind,  that  the}'  were  getting  farther 
away  and  no  Indians  in  sight. 

Reaching  the  point  of  the  Mission  timber  by  dark, 
they  turned  the  horses  out  to  graze,  and  hid  themselves 
in  the  thicket.  But  it  soon  commenced  to  rain,  and 
they  decided  to  move  on,  most  of  them  this  time  on 
foot,  as  they  were  unable  to  catch  but  one  of  the  horses. 
The  journey  was  a  slow  and  tedious  one,  and  they 
reached  Ottawa  the  next  evening. 

Meanwhile,  Thomas,  on  his 

FRIGHTENED  COLT, 

made  double-quick  time  over  the  Pavilion  road  between 
Newark  and  William  Hollenback's.  His  uncle,  when 
he  arrived,  was  tying  the  horses  out  to  grass,  after  their 
day's  work  ;  but  on  hearing  the  alarm  immediately 
brought  them  up  again,  and  left  the  boys  to  harness 
them  while  he  hurried  over  to  arouse  the  other  families. 
Mr.  Harris'  team  had  strayed  away,  and  himself  and 
the  two  older  boys  were  absent  searching  for  them.  To 
add  to  their  dismay,  Mrs.  Harris'  father — old  Mr. 
Coombs — was  so  sick  with  inflammatory  rheumatism  as 
to  be  unable  to  be  moved.  There  appeared  no  alterna- 
tive but  to  leave  him  if  they  would  save  their  lives,  and 
to  this  he  urged  them.  "  Leave  me  to  m}^  fate,"  he 
said,  "  and  save  yourselves  ;  I  am  an  old  man  and  can 
live  but  a  little  while  at  best."       Taking   what  articles 


COMMENCEMENT    OF    THE    RAID.  75 

they  could,  with  tearful  farewells,  they  left  him  and  hur- 
ried away  on  foot.  Mr.  Ackley  had  no  wagon,  and  he 
mounted  his  wife  and  one  child  on  one  horse,  while  he 
and  the  remaining  child  rode  the  other.  By  the  time 
they  reached  Mr.  Hollenback's  the  sun  had  set  and  it 
was  growing  dark  ;  but  the  boys  had  the  team  and  wagon 
all  ready,  so  that  they  started  at  once,  taking  an  east- 
erly direction  over  the  prairie  towards  Plainfield.  Before 
sunset  the  Indians  were  on  the  move,  eager  for 

SCALPS  AND  SPOIL. 

They  struck  Harris'  cabin  first,  and  Mr.  Coombs  gave 
himself  up  for  dead;  but  having  satisfied  themselves 
that  he  was  sick,  they  did  not  molest  him.  Passing  on 
to  the  two  other  cabins,  they  found  no  one  at  home  ; 
but  the  supper  tables  were  spread,  and  they  helped 
themselves  to  what  they  pleased.  "  Shabbona  did  this," 
they  said  one  to  another  in  their  Indian  guttural,  and 
they  laid  up  a  score  against  him. 

They  had  been  but  a  few  minutes  at  Hollenback's 
when — the  wagon  having  mired  in  a  slough  about  a  mile 
out — Mr.  Hoilenback  returned  to  get  a  chain  that  lay 
on  a  shaving  horse  in  his  yard.  As  he  approached  the 
fence,  through  the  brush,  he  saw  a  light  through  the 
cracks,  between  the  basswood  puncheons  of  which  the 
door  was  made.  Indians  do  not  usually  make  lights 
while  on  their  raids,  but  these  were  undoubtedly  on  a 
savage  spree,  and  believing  their  victims  had  received 
warning  and  fled,  were  ofi"  their  guard.  In  a  moment 
the  door  opened,  and  one  came  out  bearing  a  torch  ; 
at  that  instant  the  dry  twigs  snapped  under  Mr.  Hollen- 
back's feet  as  he  ran   away,  pursued   by  two  Indians. 


76  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

His  line  of  flight  was  parallel  with  the  present  Pavilion 
road  for  about  a  mile,  when  his  strength  gave  out,  and 
he  fell — rolling  into  a  ditch  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  south 
of  Dr.  Cook's.  Fortunately,  his  pursuers  ran  past  him, 
and  soon  gave  up  the  chase.  The  moon  was  nearly  at 
the  full,  but  everv  few  minutes  it  would  cloud  over  and 
be  dark,  and  Mr.  HoUenback  being  thus  unable  to  keep 
the  wagon  track  even  after  he  found  it,  became  lost,  and 
rambled  about  all  night.  Mr.  Harris  and  his  two  sons, 
while  after  the  horses,  became  lost,  but  in  the  morning, 
strangely  enough,  came  on  their  family  encamped  on  the 
prairie.  They  had  passed  the  slough  by  unloading 
the  wagon.  Although  not  at  that  time  professing  Chris- 
tians, they  always  regarded  that  meeting  as  a  special 

interposition  of 

god's  providence  ; 

for  had  they  returned  to  the  house,  or  taken  any  other 
route  than  the  one  they  did  they  probably  would  never 
have  met  again. 

In  the  morning  the  company  separated,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ackley  turning  off  to  arouse  the  Aments.  Coming  to 
the  door  Mrs.  Ackley  said  to  them  who  were  up  :  ""  Call 
Edward  ;  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  are  upon  us,  and  he  must 
leave  just  as  quick  as  he  can,"  and  while  she  continued 
talking  Edward  was  called,  and  preparation  for  flight 
was  begun.  In  a  few  minutes  they  were  on  the  road, 
Mr.  Morton,  a  man  who  lived  with  Anient,  being  with 
them.  With  the  other  party  was  Peter  Bolinger,  a 
single  man  who  worked  for  HoUenback.  Crossing  the 
wide  prairie  they  came  soon  after  sunrise  to  the  claims  of 
Selvey  and   Dougherty,  where  two   new-comers,  Kceler 


CHECKED    BY   A    CAROUSE.  77 

Clark  and  his  brother  William,  were  breaking  sod.  The 
latter  was  afterwards  well  known  as  a  Mormon  preacher. 
They  put  part  of  their  breaking  team  on  the  wagon  in 
place  of  Mr.  Hollenback's  jaded  horses  ;  thus  strength- 
ened, the  party  continued  their  journey  with  less  fear  of 
attack.  At  this  point,  too,  they  were  joined  by  Mr. 
Hollenback,  who  was  received  as  one  from  the  dead. 

At  Clark  Hollenback's  the  Indians  found  more  to  hold 
them,  for  there  were  groceries  and  tobacco  and  whisky  in 
the  store,  and  they  spent  the  remainder  of  the  night  there 
in  wild  carousal.     It  was  a  fortunate  spree  for  the 

HOLDERMAN    GROVE     SETTLERS. 

They  had  been  warned  the  night  before,  but  the  war  had 
been  so  long  talked  of  they  did  not  believe  there  was 
any  immediate  danger.  The  possessions  that  must  be 
left  behind  doubtless  caused  some  of  the  hesitation,  for 
Mr.  Holderman  had  but  just  returned  from  Ohio  with  a 
load  of  provisions.  Two  other  families  had  moved  in, 
Mr.  Cummins  and  Wyatt  Cook,  making  again  the  orig- 
inal number  at  the  grove. 

Mr.  Kellogg  was  away  and  was  not  expected  home  for 
a  day  or  two,  but  he  would  not  have  hastened  matters  if 
he  had  been  present.  Mr.  Vermet,  however,  sent  his 
hired  man  over  to  warn  Mr.  Booth  and  Mr.  Litsey,  but, 
perhaps  through  fear,  he  did  not  do  his  errand. 

Before  breakfast,  in  the  morning  of  the  memorable 
and  beautiful  sixteenth  of  May,  Mr.  Holderman  took  a 
piece  of  bread  and  butter  in  his  hand,  mounted  his  horse, 
and,  in  company  with  Ezra  Kellogg  and  Mr.  Cummins, 
rode  over  to  Newark  to  see  if  Clark  Hollenback  credited 
the  report.     Mr.  Cummins  wore  an  overcoat  and  carried 


78  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

a  rifle ;  the  others  were  unarmed.  Going  first  to  Pat 
Cunningham's,  they  found  no  one  at  home  ;  then  passing 
up  towards  Hollenback's,  their  suspicions  were  aroused. 
They  did  not  like  the  appearance  of  things  and  stopped. 
Between  them  and  the  house  a  new  sod  fence  had  been 
made,  and  an  Indian  now  appeared  on  the  fence  and 
beckoned  with  his  hand  to  them  to  come  on.  It  was 
enough.  Instead  of  coming  on,  they  turned  their  horses 
and  fled,  and  were  instantly  shot  at  and  pursued  by  a 
large  party  of  Indians,  who  were  secreted  in  the  fence 
ditch.  Thev  had  been  drinkinoi;  and  were  all  excited, 
otherwise  it  would  seem  impossible  that  the  men  could 
have  escaped  with  their  lives.  As  it  was,  the  only  bul- 
let that  took  eff"ect  cut  the  neck  of  Mr.  Cummins'  horse, 
below  the  mane.  The  little  valley  south  of  Earl  Adams' 
homestead  used  to  be  a  sunny  spot.  The  hill  each  side 
was  a  great  den  for  wolves  and  badgers.  There  the 
Indian  ponies  had  strayed,  seeking  the  green  grass,  and 
the  Indians  were  consequently  obliged  to  follow  the  white 
men  on  foot,  which  they  did  with  all  their  speed,  and 
with  furious  yells.  But  on  the  Adams  hill,  Holderman 
swung  his  hat  and  shouted  to  imaginary  reinforcements, 
and  the  device  was  successful.  The  Indians  stopped, 
and  after  a  short  parley  retreated.  When  they  reached 
Kellogg's,  Mr.  Holderman  shouted  over  the  slough  to 
his  family,  "  Gear  up,  gear  up  !"  and  leaving  their  break- 
fast untasted,  they  hastened  to  obey  the  warning  call. 

They  did  not  know  but  the  Indians,  catching  their 
ponies,  would  be  upon  them  within  a  few  minutes,  so 
they  made  ready  with  the  utmost  speed,  and  were  soon 
far  on  the  road  to  Ottawa.     The  Indians,  however,  did 


INDIANS    AT    HOLLENBACK  S. 


79 


not  leave  Hollenback's  until  the  following  night,  detained 
either  by  love  of  their  good  fare  or  by  the  hope  that 
other  settlers  might  visit  them.  The  last,  undoubtedly, 
was  the  stronger  motive,  as  the  store  was  tolerably  well 
known  through  the  surrounding  settlements,  and  was 
frequently  visited.  It  is  illustrative  of  Indian  nature 
that  from  first  to  last  these  robbers  skulked  in  thickets 
and  groves  in  the  daytime,  and  did  their  traveling  mostly 
in  the  night. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ANSEL  reed's  STORY. 

"^^  LEVEN  families  were  now  on  their  way 

out  of  the  county,  and  but  three  more 

^,  remained.   Mr.  Booth  had  as  yet  received 

no  warning,  and  how  it  came  may  be  best 

told  in  Ansel  Reed's  own  words  : 

It  was  a  pleasant  morning,  and  soon  after  daylight  I 
was  up  and  went  down  a  little  piece  from  the  house,  to 
rive  shingle  bolts.  While  at  work  I  heard  three  reports 
of  guns,  close  together,  from  the  direction  of  Newark, 
and  soon  after  saw  three  men  horseback  galloping  over 
a  rise  of  ground  toward  Holderman's.  I  supposed  then 
that  those  three  men  had  fired  the  guns,  and  thought 
little  more  of  it.  There  had  been  a  talk  of  war  for  years, 
but  we  did  not  know  as  it  would  ever  come.      There  was 


80  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

a  pond  a  little  out  from  the  edge  of  the  grove — a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  from  the  house.  Mr.  Booth  wished  to  plant 
a  patch  of  potatoes  by  it,  and  after  breakfast  I  went  out 
to  drive  up  the  oxen  to  do  the  plowing.  While  looking 
for  the  cattle,  Booth  came  out  too,  and  crossed  the  fresh 
horse  tracks.  They  were  made  by  large  horses  that 
were  shod,  and  so  he  knew  they  were  not  Indians.  Yet, 
in  thinking  about  it,  I  remembered  that  the  Indians  had 
appeared  unusually  busy  that  spring.  Their  trail  ran 
along  by  the  grove,  about  on  the  line  of  the  Newark  and 
Lisbon  road.  There  were  three  or  four  trails  side  by 
side.  In  some  places,  where  the  rain  had  washed  them 
out,  they  were  three  feet  deep.  Indians  passed  along 
these  every  day,  sometimes  riding  at  the  top  of  their 
speed.  Booth's  oxen  were  a  fine,  large,  spotted  pair ; 
well  known  because  of  their  strength  and  color,  and  the 
pride  he  took  in  them.  He  plowed  the  ground,  while  I 
spent  the  forenoon  chopping  for  sod  corn  with  a  wooden 
ax.  There  were  seventeen  acres  in  the  field  ;  the  pond 
was  in  the  same  enclosure.  We  worked  on  so  all  the 
forenoon,  not  knowing  we  were  left  nearly  alone  in  Ken- 
dall county,  and  that  the  savages  were  so  near  us.  They 
had  set  Clark  Hollenback's  cabin  on  fire,  and  I  saw  the 
smoke  all  the  afternoon.  Mr.  Booth  saw  it,  too,  but 
thought  it  was  burning  brush.  If  the  Indians  had  come 
then,  they  certainly  would  have  killed  us  all,  but 
they  probably  supposed  we  had  fled.  In  going  to 
work  in  the  afternoon  I  met  two  Frenchmen,  half-breeds, 
riding  each  a  mare  with  a  colt  following.  They  said 
they  lived  in  Kankakee  and  were  going  north  for  seed 
corn,  and  asked  if  I   could    not   get   them    some   din- 


ANSEL    reed's   STORY.  81 

ner.  I  directed  them  to  the  house,  but  they  would  not 
go  unless  I  went  too.  I  knew  if  I  went  back  without 
permission,  Mr.  Booth  would  not  like  it,  so  I  declined. 
They  talked  a  little  while  longer  and  passed  on  toward 
Newark.  The  trail  did  not  run  through  the  present 
site  of  Newark,  but  left  it  a  little  to  the  right,  and  about 
there  it  was  crossed  by  the  Chicago  trail.  Mr.  Booth 
came  out  and  had  made  two  or  three  turns  in  furrowing 
out  the  potato  land,  when  the  Frenchmen  returned  in 
a  great  fright  and  told  Mr.  Booth  what  they  had  seen. 
He  sent  them  on  to  alarm  Anthony  Litsey,  and  beck- 
ened  to  me  to  hurry,  saying,  as  I  came  near,  "I  don't 
know  but  we  shall  all  be  killed."  We  had  heard  Litsey 
calling  to  his  oxen  during  the  forenoon.  He  had  joined 
teams  with  William  Parcell,  a  bachelor  who  lived  at 
Cherry's  Grove,  and  they  were  breaking  ground  together. 
Parcell  had  a  two-wheeled  cart,  which  was  the  only 
vehicle  on  the  place,  as  Litsey  had  none.  Booth's  wagon 
had  a  rack  on  it,  but  no  box.  It  had  solid  wheels,  a 
sapling  for  a  tongue,  and  was  wholly  of  wood — not  even 
a  nail  about  it.  We  put  on  some  maple  sugar  and  a  loaf 
of  bread,  and  then  I  was  sent  to  drive  up  the  cows,  but 
could  not  find  them.  I  ran  around  the  prairie,  but  they 
were  nowhere  in  sight.  In  coming  back  I  met  Mrs. 
Booth,  carrying  the  youngest  child.  She  looked  fright- 
ened, and  said,  as  she  passed, 

"where  is  MR.  BOOTH?" 

The  road  that  led  up  to  the  house  was  the  same  that 
leads  to  it  now,  and  when  I  came  up  Mr.  Booth  said, 
''  Let  down  the  bars  and  get  your  shoes  and  coat  and 
come  on."       I  did  so,  and  then  ran  on  after  him.       He 


82  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

had  fastened  the  door  by  planting  a  heavy  stick  against 
it  on  the  inside.  When  we  had  gone  a  little  way  he  saw 
his  steers,  and  let  me  drive  while  he  went  back  to  the 
house  to  yoke  them  up.  But  in  a  moment  he  said,  "  I 
don't  think  it's  safe  to  go  back,"  and,  turning,  ran  on 
after  his  wife.  They  walked  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the 
north-west  corner  of  Collins'  Grove,  then  called  Duck 
Grove,  because  there  was  a  large  pond  in  it  and  wild 
ducks  were  plenty  there.  The  thicket  was  very  dense, 
and  Booth  hid  his  wife  near  where  the  wagon  would  pass, 
while  he  ran  on  to  alarm  Kellogg  and  the  other  famil- 
ies. It  was  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  further.  Mr. 
Kellogg  had  built  a  better  house,  of  hewed  logs,  a  few 
rods  from  William  Stephens'  residence.  I  reached  Mrs. 
Booth  and  took  her  on  board,  and  soon  Booth  came  run- 
ning down,  hat  in  hand,  tired  out  and  frightened,  and 
reported  that  the  Kelloggs  had  gone,  leaving  their  break- 
fast table  set  and  the  coffee  poured  out  in  the  cups.  We 
were  afraid  now  to  go  on,  and  hoping  to  keep  hid  until 
dark,  we  went 

FARTHER  INTO  THE  THICKET, 

over  logs  and  fallen  limbs,  and  then  I  unhitched  the  cat- 
tle and  took  them  down  to  the  duck  pond,  where  there 
was  a  good  bite  of  grass.  I  remember  that  the  ring 
in  the  yoke  staple  made  such  a  horrible  noise,  as  the 
oxen  walked,  that  I  believed  the  Indians  must  surely 
hear  it.  In  the  meantime,  Litsey  and  Parcell  had 
started,  and  Booth  went  up  to  hail  them  as  they  passed. 
On  his  way  he  saw  a  number  of  Indians  entering  Big 
Grove,  north  of  his  house,  as  if  intending  to  enter  it  by 
the  rear ;   we  left,  therefore,  none  too  soon.     Mr.  Litsey 


FLIGHT   TO    THE    FORT.  83 

did  not  think  it  best  to  wait  until  dark,  so  Mr.  Booth 
returned  and  brought  his  wagon  out  of  the  almost  impen- 
etrable timber.  Parcell's  cart  wheels  were  making  a 
terrible  squealing,  and  they  greased  them  with  some 
pork  Booth  had  with  him.  The  sun  was  now  about  an 
hour  high.  Litsey  had  two  horses,  and  rode  one  while 
Booth  rode  the  other,  and  Parcell  and  I  drove  the  teams. 
He  had  three  yoke  of  oxen  in  his  team,  but  in  the  slough 
this  side  of  Holderman's  my  wagon  mired,  and  he  had 
to  pull  me  out,  and  after  that  we  drove  two  yoke  each. 
From  Holderman's,  where  we  found  the  breakfast  table 
still  spread,  we  struck  across  the  prairie  toward  Mar- 
seilles— Booth  and  Litsey  riding  ahead,  Parcell  follow- 
ing, and  I  in  the  rear.  The  night  was  cloudy,  and 
about  midnight  there  came  a  very  heavy  thunder  shower, 
which  compelled  us  to  stop  and  take  off  the  cattle,  and 
cover  the  women  and  children  with  quilts.  We  struck 
the  Illinois  river  timber  below  Marseilles,  near  where  a 
Mr.  Shaver  lived,  but  they  had  gone.  The  next  settler 
was  Samuel  Parr,  and  the  next  Mr.  Milligan.  They 
were  all  gone.  By  this  time  it  was  broad  daylight. 
When  we  came  within  two  miles  of  Ottawa,  our  neigh- 
bors at  the  Fort  recognized  Booth's  oxen,  and  were 
alarmed,  for  we  had  been  reported 

DEAD  AND  SCALPED. 

But  when  we  had  approached  near  enough  for  them  to 
know  us  their  alarm  was  turned  into  joy,  and  we  had  a 
glad  reception.  Booth's  cattle  that  he  had  left  behind 
followed  the  next  day,  and  were  found  at  their  old  home 
on  Covin's  creek.  A  company  was  at  once  formed  to  go 
back  to  the  settlements  and  reconnoiter,  but  before  they 


84  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Started  Mr.  Kellogg  came  in  on  his  return  journey.  He 
rejected  the  idea  that  there  was  any  real  danger,  and 
against  the  persuasion  of  his  friends  went  on  alone  to 
his  farm.  He  found  everything  quiet,  and  the  table  set 
as  it  was  left,  so  he  sat  down  in  his  accustomed  place  and 
ate  a  hearty  meal.  He  then  started  back,  intendino;  to 
bring  his  fiimily  up,  and  met  a  military  company  barely 
in  time  to  be  saved  from  assassination  at  the  hands  of  an 
Indian  who  had  been  watching  him  and  was  lurking  in 
the  bushes  until  he  should  pass.  He  did  not  remove  his 
family.  The  very  thought  of  how  certain  the  bullet  and 
scalping  knife  of  that  lurking  Indian  would  have  found 
him  if  his  neighbors  had  not  met  him  at  just  that  point, 
made  the  shudders  creep  over  him.  The  company  num- 
bered twenty-five  men.  They  found  the  cabins  at  New- 
ark burned  to  the  ground,  but  at  the  other  groves  they 
were  undisturbed,  except  that  milk  and  provisions  had 
been  taken  away.  After  that  companies  used  to  come 
up  nearly  every  day,  and  found  no  considerable  damage 
done  until  three  weeks  had  passed,  when,  at  every  house, 
some  animal  was  found  killed  and  beheaded.  It  was  the 
Indian  declaration  of  war. 

One  day,  while  Booth  was  at  Big  Grove,  a  boat  arrived 
at  Ottawa  with  a  family  bv  the  name  of  Kino^,  who  after- 
wards  settled  toward  Joliet.  They  had  apples  on  board, 
and  a  French  half  breed  stepped  up  and  bought  some. 
I  at  once  recognized  him  as  one  of  the  men  who  first 
warned  us  of  the  danger.  As  he  turned  to  go  away  he 
was  arrested  as  a  spy,  and  held  under  guard  for  trial,  but 
I  felt  they  did  not  mean  to  try  him,  for  I  heard  some  say 
significantly,  "Only  wait  till  night  comes,"  and  I  was 


SUSPECTED    MAN    SAVED. 


85 


very  much  alarmed.  At  dusk  Booth  arrived,  and  as 
soon  as  I  told  him  about  it  he  hurried  over  and  procured 
his  release,  and  did  not  leave  him  until  he  was  safely 
away. 

When  the  fort  was  built  on  the  bluff  in  South  Ot- 
tawa, though  only  a  boy,  I  drove  the  oxen  to  help  haul 
the  logs,  and  enjoyed  it,  too.  I  had  few  cares  of  my 
own,  and  there  was  something  exhilarating  about  seeing 
so  many  people  at  work.  As  soon  as  it  was  safe  to 
travel  we  removed  to  Macomb,  and  remained  there  dur- 
ing the  summer. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

MORE    BLOODSHED. 

lie' 

jfO  LIFE  was  lost  within  the  limits  of 
Kendall  county,  which  might  have  in- 
duced a  belief  that  the  Indians  were  not 
so  dangerous  after  all,  and  wished 
rather  to  frighten  than  to  kill  the  set- 
tlers. But  within  a  mile  of  our  county 
line  they  showed  their  hand,  and  again 
in  a  more  terrible  massacre  within  ten  miles.  It  is  pos- 
sible, however,  that  these  last  were  committed  by  a  dif- 
ferent band  of  Indians.  They  were  a  mixture  of  Sacs 
and  Foxes,  and  Winnebago  and  Pottawatomie  outlaws, 
and  were  led  by 

MIKE    GURTY, 

a  half  breed,  one  of  the  most  heartless   wretches   who 
ever  escaped  human  justice.     He  was  a  large,  heavy-set 


86  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

savage,  with  high  cheek  bones,  a  flat  nose  and  black 
eyes,  and  said  to  have  been  the  son  of  Simon  Gurty,  a 
well-known  Revolutionary  outlaw  who  found  refuge  at 
last  among  the  Indians  of  the  Ohio,  and  in  Wayne's  war, 
when  Col.  Crawford  was  taken  prisoner,  laughed  in 
fiendish  glee  while  he  burnt  him  alive.  Mike  aspired  to 
be  a  chief,  but  was  never  wholly  trusted  by  the  Indians. 
He  had  married  a  squaw  and  had  a  family  of  sons,  some 
of  whom  are  now  living  with  their  tribe  in  the  far  West. 
He  acted  as  interpreter  at  a  council  held  near  the  mouth 
of  Crow  creek  in  1827,  between  Gen.  Cass  and  the  In- 
dians, and  at  the  close  the  General  gave  him  a  silver 
medal  as  a  mark  of  esteem.  He  fastened  it  about  his 
neck  by  a  buckskin  string,  and  wore  it  until  death.  As 
soon  as  the  war  opened,  Gurty  and  his  band  scoured  the 
country  for  blood  and  plunder,  and  having  raided  the 
country  south  of  us,  they  came  this  way,  guided  b}'^  a 
treacherous  half-breed  called  Tenge  Forqua,  who  had 
often  experienced  the  hospitalities  of  the  settlers. 

INDIAN    CREEK 

is  a  romantic  stream  that  rises  near  Shabbona  Grove, 
in  DeKalb  county,  and  empties  into  Fox  river  in  the 
town  of  Dayton,  LaSalle  county,  eight  miles  above  Otta- 
wa. At  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  William  Davis — with 
his  family — settled  in  1830,  and  in  1831  built  him  a 
cabin  and  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  had  thrown  a  dam  across 
the  creek,  intending  to  build  a  mill.  The  latter  incensed 
the  inhabitants  of  an  Indian  village  a  few  miles  farther 
up  the  creek,  as  it  prevented  the  fish  from  coming  up, 
but  no  serious  trouble  was  apprehended. 

Early  in  the   spring  of  1832,  Wm.  Hall  and  family 


AN    INDIAN    MASSACRE.  87 

took  a  claim  close  by  Davis,  and  was  building  his  cabin 
when  the  war  began.  Mr.  Pettigrew  and  family  also 
occupied  a  claim  in  the  neighborhood.  There  were  at 
Davis'  house,  Mr.  Phillips,  the  mill-wright  who  was 
building  his  mill,  his  wife  and  child,  and  Henry  George, 
a  visitor  from  Bureau  county. 

When  the  alarm  was  given  they  all  went  to  Ottawa, 
but  after  three  or  four  days,  by  the  advice  of  Davis,  they 
returned,  arriving  at  their  cabins  about  noon.  May  21. 
Several  other  settlers  also  returned.  Gurty'sband  drew 
near  the  settlement  about  the  same  time,  and  watched 
their  chance,  and  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
crawled  along  under  the  creek  bank  and  so  came  up  into 
the  yard  before  they  were  seen.  The  women  and  younger 
part  of  the  families  of  Davis  and  Hall  were  in  the  house, 
also  Mr.  Pettigrew  and  family,  who  had  not  yet  removed 
to  their  own  cabin.  Davis  himself,  with  Phillips,  Hall, 
George  and  Robert  Norris,  who  were  there  getting  some 
work  done,  were  in  the  shop.  Two  of  Hall's  sons  and 
one  of  Davis'  were  plowing  in  the  field.  They  thought 
themselves  strong  enough  to  repel  any  ordinary  attack, 
and  might  have  done  so  had  they  not  been  so  completely 
surprised.  A  dog  barked,  and  Mrs.  Pettigrew,  looking 
out  at  the  door,  said,  '*  0,  God,  here  are  the  Indians 
now!"  Her  husband  sprang  forward  instantly  to  close 
the  door,  and  was  shot  down  while  doing  so  ;  while  the 
savages  pouring  in  soon  completed  the  work  of  death. 
Most  of  the  men  at  the  shop  were  killed  before  they  could 
make  any  defence,  but  Davis,  who  was  a  most  powerful 
man  and  utterly  fearless,  did  not  sell  his  life  so  easily. 
He  shot  down  the  nearest  Indian,  and  clubbing  his  rifle, 


88  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL  COUNTY. 

rushed  into  their  midst,  and  was  not  slain  until  he  had 
dispatched  three  more,  and  bent  his  rifle  barrel  with  the 
fury  of  his  blows.  A  dozen  men  like  Davis  would  prob- 
ably have  whipped  the  entire  band,  though,  if  he  had 
been  less  confident  of  his  strength,  perhaps  he  would 
have  remained  longer  at  the  fort,  and  thus  saved  his  life 
and  the  lives  of  his  friends.  The  young  men  at  work 
in  the  field  unhitched  their  oxen  and  escaped,  and  another 
of  Hall's  sons  escaped  by  running  under  the  creek  bank. 
A  little  son  of  Davis,  called  Jimmy,  seven  years  old, 
and  two  of  Hall's  daughters,  Sylvia  and  Rachel,  aged 
respectively  eighteen  and  sixteen  years,  were  saved  alive, 
through  the  influence  of  a  petty  Sac  chief,  for  the  sake 
of  the  ransom,  and  were  hurried  off"  by  him  and  his  braves 
through  the  woods  to  where  their  ponies  were  tied.  The 
others  remained  to  wreak  their  vengeance  on  the  dead 
bodies,  and  on  the  stock.  They  shot  horses,  cattle  and 
hogs,  and  even  the  chickens  in  the  yard  did  not  escape 
their  rage,  so  savagely  did  the  shedding  of  blood  excite 
them.  Then  robbing  the  murdered  families  of  every- 
thing they  could  carry,  they  went  on  toward  Holder- 
man's.  Fifteen  persons  were  killed,  viz  :  Davis,  wife, 
two  sons  and  daughter.  Hall  and  wife,  Pettigrew,  wife 
and  child,  Phillips,  wife  and  child,  Norris  and  George. 

The  news  was  published  in  probably  every  newspaper 
in  the  United  States,  and  awakened  a  tide  of  sympathy 
for  the  frontier  people,  and  especially  for  those  captive 
girls. 

The  next  murder,  while  the  Indians  were  camped,  or 
secreted,  at  Holderman's,  was  that  of 

ADAM  PAYNE, 

the  missionary.      He  was  a  large,  portly  man,  with  a 


MURDER    OF    THE    MISSIONARY.  89 

black  beard  that  hung  to  his  waist,  and  was  well  known, 
having  preached  about  through  the  western  settlements 
for  years.  He  had  been  to  Ohio,  and  on  his  return 
stopped  in  Chicago  a  few  days  to  preach.  The  com- 
mander at  Fort  Dearborn,  at  the  same  time,  was  press- 
ing horses  to  mount  a  company  of  rangers,  and  Payne, 
who  had  a  splendid  horse,  in  order  to  save  it,  decided  to 
go  to  Hennepin,  below  Ottawa,  where  his  brother  Aaron 
lived. 

The  morning  he  left  he  preached  his  last  sermon,  at 
the  northern  end  of  the  military  parade  ground,  corner 
of  South  Water  street  and  Michigan  Avenue.  His  ser- 
mon was  two  hours  long,  but  he  held  his  audience  of 
traders,  soldiers,  citizens  and  Indians,  spell-bound  to  the 
close,  as  he  pressed  upon  them  the  reality  of  eternal 
things.  When  he  came  to  Plainfield  to  put  up  for  the 
night,  he  found  the  people  in  a  state  of  great  excitement 
over  the  news  of  the  Indian  Creek  massacre.  They 
imagined  that  the  country  was  being  over-run  by  an 
army  of  savages,  who  would  not  spare  a  soul  alive,  and 
that  the  woods  all  around  were  full  of  them.  Besides 
this,  the  stockade  there  was  too  small  to  accommodate 
the  multitude,  so  that  it  had  been  decided  to  break  up 
and  go  to  Chicago.  They  were  to  start  the  next  morn- 
ing after  Payne's  arrival,  and  tried  to  prevail  on  him  to 
go  with  them,  but  he  would  not.  He  wished  to  see  his 
family,  and  believed  that  his  profession  and  his  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Indians,  and,  if  it  came  to  the  worst,  the 
fleetness  of  his  splendid  bay  mare,  would  carry  him 
through   safely.       So,  in  the    morning,   Plainfield   was 

deserted — the  settlers  going  eastward  and  Payne  going 
7 


90  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

west.  He  rode  on  without  being  molested  until  he 
passed  Holderman's  Grove,  when  there  was  a  sudden 
report  of  guns,  and  a  bullet  pierced  his  shoulder,  and 
another  struck  his  horse.  The  Indians  probably  saw 
him  from  their  hiding-place.  They  used  to  cut  bushes 
and  make  a  little  barricade  by  the  road,  where  they 
watched  for  travelers.  One  such  hiding-place  was  found 
in  a  tree  at  the  north-west  corner  of  Kellogg's  Grove, 
where  they  could  overlook  all  the  surrounding  country. 
Payne  immediately  put  his  horse  on  the  run,  and  out- 
stripped the  savages,  who  would  probably  have  given  up 
the  chase  but  for  the  fact  that  they  knew  he  was 
wounded.  Across  the  countrv  thev  went  like  the  wind, 
pursuer  and  pursued.  Across  the  slough  and  up  tlie 
next  rise  of  ground  west  of  Holderman's  the  fugitive 
urged  his  panting  steed,  but  the  race  was  nearly  oyer. 
A  little  beyond  the  grove  the  horse  dropped  from 
exhaustion  and  loss  of  blood,  and  Payne  deciding  that 
his  best  course  was  to  bravely  stand  his  ground,  waited 
until  the  Indians  came  up.  and  with  his  Bible  in  one 
hand  and  the  other  pointing  heavenward,  he  appealed 
for  mercy.  Two  of  the  three  Indians  were  moved  at 
this,  but  the  third  struck  him  on  the  head*  from  behind, 
and  he  expired  in  a  few  moments.  His  head  was  placed 
on  a  pole,  and  at  night  the  whole  band  assembled,  laden 
with  spoils  from  the  houses  of  the  settlers,  and  held  a 
wild  war  dance  around  the  spot  where  their  victim  fell. 
The  body  was  found  a  few  days  afterwards  by  a  company 
of  rangers,  or  volunteer  cavalry,  and  buried.  The  scalp 
was  stuck  up  on  a  ramrod,  with  fifteen  or  sixteen  little 
sticks  around  it,  indicating  the  number  they  had  taken. 


ANOTHER  STORY  OF  THE  MURDER.        91 

It  was  as  large  as  the  palm  of  a  man's  hand,  and  as 
thick  as  a  little  finger.  It  was  probably  left  by  the 
Indians  through  the  belief  that  ill-luck  would  attend 
them  by  having  the  scalp  of  a  man  of  God. 

ANOTHER    STORY, 

or  Indian  tradition,  says  that  Gurty  had  once  been 
Payne's  interpreter,  and  when  he  recognized  the  body, 
after  the  dance  was  over,  he  was  filled  with  remorse,  and 
having  buried  it  he  burnt  his  most  valuable  articles  over 
the  grave  to  appease  the  Great  Spirit.  If  that  is  true, 
the  remains  of  Adam  Payne  sleep  to-day  not  far  from 
the  south-west  corner  of  Big  Grove  township,  and  the 
body  found  was  that  of  a  Dunker  preacher  who  was  also 
missed  about  the  same  time.  As  the  Indians  themselves 
gave  this  account,  there  is  so  far  an  air  of  great  prob- 
ability about  it.  Mr.  Cummins  was  Payne's  step -son, 
and  Mrs.  Payne  and  her  family  went  down  with  him  and 
the  Holdermans  to  a  prairie  camp  in  Putnam  county. 
She  never  received  any  of  her  husband's  effects,  though 
she  lived  for  a  long  time  in  the  hope  that  she  should. 

The  following,  from  Vetal  Vermet,  who  lived  here  at 
the  time,  corroborates  the  main  features  of  the  story, 
while  difiering  in  some  minor  parts.     He  says : 

"  Rev.  Mr.  Payne  lived  at  Holderman's  Grove  at  the 
time  of  the  Indian  war.  Just  before  it  commenced  he 
had  to  go  to  Chicago  on  business,  and  when  he  returned 
found  his  family  and  the  other  settlers  gone.  He  re- 
sumed his  journey,  but  coming  across  some  Indians  hid 
in  the  grove,  they  chased  him  about  seven  miles  in  a 
southern  direction,  when  they  shot  him,  and  he  fell  from 


92  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

his  horse  some  time  after  he  was  killed.     There  we  found 
and  buried  him,  but  his  head  we  never  found."' 
Mr.  Vermet  gives  the  following  particulars  of 

OTHER  DEATHS. 

"While  at  the  Ottawa  fort,  Capt.  McFadden  with 
James  Beresford  and  Zeke  Warren  wanted  me  to  go  with 
them  to  pick  strawberries  at  Indian  creek,  but  1  refused, 
as  there  was  too  much  danger.  They  went,  and  Warren 
soon  returned  bringing  the  bad  news.  Then  a  company 
of  us  went  out  and  found  McFadden  hid  in  a  bunch  of 
willows.  He  was  wounded  in  the  leg,  and  his  injured 
horse  had  carried  him  three  miles  and  fell  dead.  We 
then  searched  for  Beresford,  and  found  him  dead  and 
scalped  where  he  was  first  attacked. 

"  Mr.  Schemerhorn  and  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Hazleton. 
owned  a  farm  at  Mission  Point.  After  we  had  been  at 
the  fort  a  week  or  two  they  wanted  me  to  get  ready  and 
go  back  with  them  to  our  homes  to  look  after  our  house- 
hold goods,  and  I  agreed  to  go  with  them  the  next  day. 
But  when  they  came  for  me  my  horse  was  gone.  I  had 
turned  him  out  to  feed  on  the  prairie,  and  could  not  find 
him,  so  they  went  without  me,  taking  a  young  man  with 
them.  About  seven  miles  from  Ottawa  they  were  sur- 
rounded by  Indians  and  killed,  though  the  young  man 
escaped.  We  at  once  went  out  and  found  the  bodies, 
bringing  them  back  to  Ottawa,  but  the  Indians  had  gone." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    WAR    ENDED. 

FEW  days  after  the  flight  of  the  settlers, 
Peter    Miller    and   wife,  now   of  Sheridan, 
came  out  from  Ohio  and  headed  towards  Ot- 
tawa.   While  crossing  Grundy  county,  south 
of   the    Illinois    river,  they    inquired    their 
way  of  two  drovers  who  were  driving  cattle 
to  an  Eastern  market,  and  were  then  first 
informed  of  the  war.     They  arrived,  however,  without 
accident  at  Ottawa,  to  the  great  relief  of  their  friends — 
the  Holdermans — who  were  anxiously  expecting  them. 
In  June 

JOHN    N.    SCHNEIDER, 

the  pioneer  miller  of  Kendall  county,  arrived  at  Ottawa, 
having  accomplished  the  entire  distance  from  Pittsburg 
a-foot  and  alone.  He  was  unmolested  throughout  the 
entire  journey.  His  brother  Peter,  now  living  in  the 
Big  Woods  above  Aurora,  came  with  his  family  by  steam- 
boat around  the  lakes,  but  when  the  captain  heard  there 
was  cholera  in  Chicago,  he  put  off  before  half  the  goods 
were  unloaded,  and  the  unfortunate  Peter  never  saw  them 


again. 


The  war  now  went  on  vigorously.     Mr.  Booth  enlisted 
as  a  volunteer  to  fight  the  Indians,  and  so  also  did  others 


94:  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

from  among  the  settlers.  Those  who  had  taken  refuge 
in  Chicago  were  at  first  housed  in  the  fort,  but  when 
Major  Whittlesey  arrived  with  his  regulars  they  occupied 
the  fort,  and  the  settlers  moving  out  upon  the  prairie 
were  gathered  in  shanties  built  of  a  raft  of  lumber  just 
received  by  the  Noble  family.  Half  a  dozen  families 
were  in  some  cases  packed  in  a  room  fourteen  feet  square, 
and  the  confusion  was  great.  Children  quarreling, 
mothers  chaffering,  and  men  disputino^,  Avorking,  play- 
ing, or  going  on  scouting  expeditions,  as  they  had  oppor- 
tunity. Black  Hawk  did  not  trouble  them.  He  made 
a  vitT^orous  sie^e  of  the  fort  at  Galena,  but  he  was  re- 
pulsed,  and  besides  that  seemed  to  avoid  any  open  engage- 
ment. But  a  foe  more  deadly  than  the  savage  Indian 
was  creeping  up  the  country.     It  was  the 

ASIATIC    CHOLERA. 

It  started  in  Canada,  and  followed  the  highways  and 
navigable  streams  westward,  leaving  lines  of  dead  behind 
to  mark  its  fatal  track.  On  Julv  8th,  a  steamer  arrived 
havincy  on  board  Gen.  Winfield  Scott  and  two  hundred 
United  States  troops,  and  the  Cholera.  The  latter  was 
shipped  at  Detroit.  The  boat  anchored  a  mile  from  the 
beach,  as  there  was  no  harbor,  and  small  boats  and  canoes 
put  out  to  bring  oif  the  men  and  cargo.  Some  had  died 
on  the  trip,  others  were  sick,  and  all  were  in  fear.  After 
landing  it  spread  frightfully,  defying  all  efforts  to  arrest 
or  confine  it,  and  in  a  few  days  ninety  men  had  perished 
and  were  buried  in  a  common  grave,  corner  Lake  street 
and  Wabash  Avenue.  Those  streets  were  not  laid  out  at 
that  time,  though   Lake   street  was  surveyed  the  same 


THE    CHOLERA    ARRIVES.  95 

fall,  and  the  spot  was  included  within  the  military  ground. 
As  soon  as  the  news  came  to  the  ears  of  the  settlers  they 
fled  again,  being  more  willing  to  risk  the  Indians  in  the 
field  than  Cholera  in  the  camp.  While  they  needed  an 
escort  of  forty  men  to  bring  them  to  Chicago,  they 
needed  none  to  guard  them  back,  but  fled  in  hot  haste  to 
the  stockade  at  Plainfield,  to  Reed's  Grove,  to  Hickory 
Creek,  to  Ottawa,  wherever  there  was  promise  of  safety. 

•  Gen.  Scott's  headquarters,  while  in  Chicago,  was  at 
John  Wentworth's  tavern,  familiarly  called  "•  Rat  Cas- 
tle," in  allusion  to  a  large  number  of  its  regular  board- 
ers. It  stood  at  the  east  end  of  Lake  street  bridge. 
The  government  sent  two  steamboat  loads  of  provisions 
up  the  Illinois  river,  and  they  made  their  way  as  far  as 
Lemont,  the  highest  point  ever  reached  by  steamboat  on 
the  Illinois.  There  was  great  rejoicing  when  they  came, 
both  on  account  of  the  prospective  opening  up  of  com- 
merce, and  because  of  the  present  need,  for  as  the  corn- 
fields were  not  planted  there  was  danger  of  famine.  The 
provisions  were  intended  for  the  troops,  and  to  be  given 
as  government  supplies  to  the  friendly  Indians  and  the 
settlers.  But  the  agent  in  charge  sold  to  the  settlers, 
and  whether  unjustly  or  not,  was  popularly  supposed  to 
have  made  a  dishonest  purse  for  himself.  However,  it 
was  better  to  buy  than  to  starve,  though  it  was  hard  on 
many  of  the  people,  who  had  all  they  could  do  to  live 
before. 

The  war  finally  ended  in  the  latter  part  of  July  by  a 
decisive  battle  on  the  Wisconsin  river,  after  which  the 
Indians  retreated  to  the  Mississippi,  marking  their  route 
by  their   dead,    and  were  defeated  again.       Dr.  L    D. 


96  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Boone,  a  relative  of  Daniel  Boone,  and  one  of  the  oldest 
living  pioneers  of  Chicago,  was  regimental  surgeon  under 
Gen.  Henry,-  and  was  present  at  both  engagements. 
These  reverses  settled  the  policy  of  the  wavering  Win- 
nebagos,  who  pursued  and  captured  Black  Ilawk,  of 
their  own  accord,  and  delivered  him  up  to  the  whites. 
In  the  meantime, 

THE  HALL  GIRLS 

had  been  rescued  by  a  ransom.  They  had  lost  little 
Jimmy  Davis.  Before  he  had  gone  many  miles  he 
became  so  tired  as  to  be  a  burden  to  the  Indians,  and 
they  stood  him  up  by  a  tree  and  shot  him.  The  two 
sisters  were  taken  into  Wisconsin,  and  were  ransomed 
by  the  government  for  two  thousand  dollars  and  forty 
horses.  Their  case  excited  much  interest,  and  the  leg- 
islature voted  them  a  quarter  section  of  canal  land  at 
Joliet.  Congress  also  voted  them  a  small  sum  of  money. 
They  were  taken  to  St.  Louis,  and  from  there  by  Rev. 
Erastus  Horn,  a  friend  of  their  father,  to  his  house  in 
Morgan  county,  111.  Sylvia  afterwards  married  William 
Horn,  and  lives  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska.  Rachel  married 
William  Munson,  and  moved  to  Freehold,  LaSalle  Co., 
where  she  died  a  few  years  ago. 
The  war  being  closed, 

scott's  troops 
were  not  needed,  and  about  August  1st  the  remnant  of 
the  little  army,  with  baggage  wagons  and  a"  drove  of 
cattle  for  supplies,  marched  through  the  northern  part 
of  Kendall  county,  on  their  way  to  Rock  Island.  Fresh 
deaths  occurred  every  day,  and  nearly  every  camp  was 
marked   by   its   graves.       The  second    night    out    they 


END    OF   THE    WAR.  97 

encamped  near  Little  Rock,  and  the  three  soldiers' 
graves  left  behind  were  seen  for  years  by  the  early  set- 
tlers. Black  Hawk,  the  cause  of  all  the  misery,  was 
taken  to  Washington,  where  he  made  his  celebrated 
speech  to  President  Jackson,  beginning  :  "  I  am  a  man, 
and  YOU  are  another."  He  was  confined  in  Fortress 
Monroe  for  the  Winter,  and  released  in  the  Spring,  after 
making  the  tour  of  the  eastern  cities.  He  was  lionized 
by  the  ladies,  whom  he  complimented  by  saying,  "pretty 
squaws."  He  returned  by  the  way  of  the  lakes  to  his 
tribe  in  Iowa,  and  died  a  very  oM  man,  Oct.  3d,  1840. 
He  was  far  inferior  to  Pontiac  or  Tecumseh,  having  lit- 
tle to  distinguish  him  but  his  bravery. 

As  to  Mike  Gurty,  the  outlaw  and  murderer,  the 

RETRIBUTION 

that  followed  his  crimes  is  worthy  of  mention.  He  was 
taken  prisoner  at  the  final  defeat  of  the  Indians,  and  for 
subsequently  killing  a  guard,  was  confined  at  hard  labor, 
with  ball  and  chain,  in  the  garrison  at  Prairie  Du  Chien, 
for  four  years.  It  was  probably  the  first  honest  work  he 
ever  did.  When  he  was  so  far  gone  with  consumption 
as  to  be  unable  to  work,  he  was  released  and  suftered  to 
wander  oft'  to  Bureau  county,  in  this  State,  in  search  of 
his  family.  It  was  the  locality  of  his  murders,  too,  and 
where  one  poor  man  and  his  young  wife  had  been  burned 
alive.  He  entered  Princeton  in  the  last  stages  of  con- 
sumption, with  a  violent  cough,  emaciated,  and  tottering 
under  his  load  of  blankets,  copper  kettle,  pot,  gun,  tom- 
ahawk, knife,  and  a  piece  of  venison.  W^hen  told  that 
the  Indians  had  all  moved  west  of  the  Mississippi,  he 
groaned  in   his   despair,  and  shed  the  tears  for  his  own 


98  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

misery  that  he  could  never  shed  for  others.  Reeling  to 
and  fro  from  weakness,  he  took  up  his  march  for  the 
West.  A  week  afterwards  a  body,  eaten  by  wolves,  was 
found  on  the  prairie,  and  around  the  neck,  attached  to  a 
buckskin  cord,  was  a  silver  medal,  on  which  was  engraved, 
*'A  token  of  friendship,  Lewis  Cass,  U.  S.  A."  It  was 
the  last  of  Mike  Gurty,  the  assassin  of  Indian  Creek. 
And  over  him  might  be  raised  the  epitaph  :  '•'  He  showed 
no  mercy  in  his  life;  he  received  none  in  his  death." 
In  August,  1832,  John  and  Walter  Pearce  and 

WILLIAM  WILSON 

arrived  with  their  families.  They  were  from  the  Mad 
river  country,  Ohio,  and  started  almost  the  moment  they 
heard  the  war  was  over,  with  horse  teams,  driving  their 
cattle  and  sheep  before  them.  It  was  a  tedious  journey, 
and  the  prospect,  when  they  reached  the  quaking  swamps 
around  Chicago,  anything  but  inviting.  But  from  that 
point  they  struck  for  Fox  river,  and  after  a  day's  travel 
in  that  direction  were  better  pleased.  They  touched  the 
river  at  Aurora,  though  there  was  not  one  solitary  cabin 
then  to  mark  the  spot,  and  passed  on  down  the  south 
bank  to  the  present  site  of  Oswego.  There  Mr.  Wilson 
drove  his  stake,  while  the  Pearces  crossed  the  river  and 
made  their  claims  on  the  other  side.  Oswego  is  there- 
fore, by  a  few  months,  the  oldest  inhabited  town  in  Ken- 
dall county,  being  now  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  her  age. 
Mr.  Wilson  built  his  cabin  near  Walter  Loucks'  present 
residence.  A  few  weeks  afterwards,  Ephraim  Macomber 
and  family  arrived  and  claimed  the  place  now  owned  by  J. 
Budlong,  on  the  Newark  road,  two  miles  west  of  Oswego. 
There  were  then   two  cabins  on  each  side  of  the  river. 


THE    SETTLERS    RETURN.  99 

This  was  not  only  the  first  settlement  on  Fox  river  in 
Kendall  county,  but,  so  far  as  known,  they  were  the  only 
settlers  on  the  river,  at  that  time,  between  Indian  Creek 
and  Geneva.     During  the  same  fall 

MR.  SEE, 

an  unlearned  and  rather  tedious  preacher,  well  known  in 
the  early  days  of  Chicago,  made  a  claim  covering  the 
present  site  of  Plattville.  It  was  then  known  as  The 
Springs,  and  was  on  the  trail  from  Plainfield  to  Hol- 
derman's.  Mr.  See,  no  doubt,  was  charmed  with  the 
gushing  fountain,  beside  which  travelers  used  to  camp, 
and  wondering  that  no  claim-stake  had  yet  been  driven 
there,  resolved  to  drive  his  own.  But  he  never  occupied 
his  claim.  In  September  and  October  most  of  the  set- 
tlers returned  to  their  claims,  which  they  found  plun- 
dered of  everything  movable,  so  were  obliged  to  begin 
over  again.  Some,  however,  wintered  in  other  parts. 
George  HoUenback  and  family  and  Mr.  and  Mr.  Combs 
went  to  Ohio  ;  Mr.  Harris  went  to  his  former  home  near 
Ottawa ;  Mr.  Ackley  had  gone  on  to  Ohio  on  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war.  Mr.  Booth  returned  from  Macomb 
and  arrived  on  his  claim  October  31st.  Mr  Ilolderman 
sold  his  field  of  corn  at  Pekin,  and  returned  so  full  of 
vigor  that  he  was  able  to  buy  out  Mr.  Vermet,  the  last 
remaining  old  settler  at  the  Grove.  The  sale  of  eighty 
acres  was  made  November  10th,  before  J.  Cloud,  Justice 
of  the  Peace.  John  HoUenback  and  L.  L.  Robins  were 
witnesses. 

IT    WAS    HARD    TIMES 

that  winter.  Corn  was  the  principal  food.  It  was  cracked 
in  a  mortar  at  Holderman's.     What  little  wheat  could  be 


lOU 


HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 


got  was  ground  in  a  coffee  mill.  Pork  was  supplied 
from  the  pigs  that  survived  the  war,  feeding  on  acorns 
in  the  woods.  But  one  by  one  the  cold  snowy  days 
passed  by. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE  YEAR  OF  THE  EARLY  SPRING. 


|lIE  YEAR  1833  opened  out  splendidly, 
1^^  as  if  to  make  amends  for  the  hardships 
I  \  of  the  year  before.  The  snow  went 
away  in  February,  and  early  in  March 
the  sheltered  valleys  and  nooks  b}^  the 
groves  were  beautifully  green,  and  by 
the  end  of  the  month,  stock  could  live 
on  the  prairies  anywhere.  It  was  an  exceedingly  favor- 
ing Providence  for  the  few  pioneers  who  remained  on 
their  claims  ;  for  had  the  spring  been  cold  and  backward, 
much  more  suffering  must  have  followed.  The  tide  of 
emigration  set  in  early,  and  in  one  summer  more  than 
trebled  the  population  of  the  county.  This  was  partly 
because  the  emigration  of  the  summer  preceding  had 
been  held  back  by  the  war,  and  partly  because  in  con- 
nection with  the  war  Northern  Illinois  had  come  promi- 
nently before  the  people.  The  beauty  of  the  groves  and 
richness  of  the   soil   had  been  extolled  in  the  letters  of 


RE-SETTLEMENT    OF    NEWARK.  101 

correspondents  and  reports  of  soldiers,  and  thus  many 
of  the  better  class  were  induced  to  come,  who,  in  the 
ordinary  course,  would  scarcely  have  thought  of  going 
so  far  west.  Clark  Hollenback  and  family  had  wintered 
at  Holderman's,  and  as  soon  as  the  season  opened,  moved 
into  Hobson's  old  cabin,  in  the  Newark  timber,  while 
another  was  being  built  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the 
residence  of  Edward  Wright.  The  exact  site  of  the  Hob- 
son  cabin  was  in  the  timber  between  Needham's  and 
Taylor's,  where  Pat  Cunningham  afterward  had  a  brick- 
yard. The  spot  may  be  easily  recognized  to-day,  after 
a  lapse  of  forty-six  years. 

GEO.  B.  HOLLENBACK, 

the  store-keeper,  sold  his  claim  on  the  hill  to  Col.  Camp- 
bell, of  Ottawa,  and  crossing  the  little  creek  built  a  new 
store  on  the  rise  of  ground  opposite,  in  the  edge  of  the 
timber.  It  is  now  well  known  as  the  Barnett  corner, 
opposite  Thuneman's,  in  Newark.  That  town  is  there- 
fore next  to  Oswego  in  age  and  only  eight  months 
younger.  The  new  store  was  no  pretentious  affair,  being 
only  twelve  feet  square,  built  of  rough  logs,  but  it  was 
large  enough  to  accommodate  the  business  of  those  days 
and  shelter  the  store-keeper's  family  besides.  The  only 
part  of  the  old  stock  saved  was  a  keg  of  powder  that  was 
buried  by  Pat  Cunningham  before  the  flight,  and  a  keg 
of  tobacco  that  was  hidden  by  the  Indians  in  the  top  of 
a  tree.  The  burial  of  the  powder  prevented  the  foe  from 
replenishing  their  ammunition,  and  the  tobacco  they 
probably  expected  to  return  for,  but  found  no  opportu- 
nity. The  store  was  well  patronized  that  summer,  and 
the  place  was  soon   known  far  and   near  as    "George- 


102  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL  COUNTY. 

town,"  after  its  indefatigable  founder,  and  it  bore  that 
name  for  more  than  fifteen  years.  George  Hollenback, 
his  uncle,  returned  with  a  young  man  by  the  name  of 
John  Perry,  and  put  his  crops  in  before  he  brought  his 
family.  Mr.  Ackley  returned  with  his  family,  as  did 
also  most  of  the  other  settlers.  Mr.  Araent  had  re- 
turned to  his  claim  in  the  fall,  at  the  same  time  with 
Booth  and  Holderman.  Mr.  Harris  wintered  in  Naper- 
ville,  and  selling  his  claim  to  John  Matlock  took  up  an- 
other in  Long  Grove.  Dougherty  and  Selvey  returned 
to  Aux  Sable,  and  after  a  few  years  went  to  Oregon.    Of 

THE  AMENT  BOYS, 

Hiram  took  a  claim  next  to  Edward,  and  the  following 
year  married  Miss  Nancy  Harris.  Calvin  remained  until 
1840,  when  he  returned  South  and  became  a  Protestant 
Methodist  preacher.  Anson,  next  younger,  in  1848 
married  Miss  Tamar  White,  of  Batavia,  a  sister  of  Hi- 
ram's second  wife,  and  went  with  Hiram  to  Oreixon. 

In  the  spring  of  1833  Mr.  Litsey  and  Mr.  Havenhill 
also  returned,  and  in  the  fall  the  latter  located  perma- 
nently on  the  east  side  of  Big  Grove. 

As  soon  as  the  roads  were  settled, 

EARL   ADAMS 

set  out  for  the  claim  he  made  two  years  before.  Ebene- 
zer  Morgan  came  with  him,  leaving  his  family  to  follow 
the  ensuing  spring.  He  took  Mr.  Adams'  family  in  a 
wagon  drawn  by  horses,  and  Mr.  Adams  followed  Avith 
an  ox  team  and  the  goods.  They  came  by  way  of  Chi- 
cago. At  Oswego  they  found  Mr.  Wilson  settled,  and 
stayed  with  him  over  night,  proceeding  the  next  morn- 


FIRST    CASE    OF    PROHIBITION.  103 

ing  to  their  claims.  Two  miles  further  on  they  fonnd 
Mr.  Macomber  and  his  step-son,  Marshall  Everest. 
Mr.  Morgan  found  his  chosen  creek  undisturbed,  and 
there  he  located  for  himself  and  sons  eleven  hundred 
acres  of  land,  building  his  cabin  in  Specie  Grove.  Mr. 
Adams  built  the  pioneer  cabin  on  court  house  hill,  his 
axe  first  awakening  the  industrial  echoes  on  the  site  of 
our  county  seat.  The  following  spring  he  sold  to  Mr. 
Bristol  and  settled  at  Specie  Grove,  remaining  there 
several  years  before  removing  to  Big  Grove. 

One  incident  of  their  trip  is  worth  relating.  A  single 
man  by  the  name  of  Slayton,  came  with  them.  He  was 
so  addicted  to  the  use  of  liquor  that  it  had  become  to 
him  almost  a  daily  necessity,  and  he  replenished  his  bot- 
tle at  every  watering  place  along  the  road — where  the 
water  was  strong  enough.  But  after  leaving  Beaubien's 
tavern,  in  Chicago,  there  was  no  more  fire  water  to  be 
had,  and  Mr.  Slayton  was  in  a  pickle.  It  was  practical 
prohibition,  and  was  at  least  one  generation  in  advance 
of  public  sentiment  as  represented  by  Mr.  S.  He  grew 
thin.  He  tried  the  Yorkville  water,  but  there  was  no 
taste  to  it.  He  sampled  the  river,  but  it  was  insipid. 
He  crossed  to  the  Bristol  side,  but  there  was  no  relief. 
The  days  dragged  wearily  by,  but  at  last  his  health 
beo-an  to  return,  and  he  found  he  was  better  without 
liquor  than  with  it.  A  grand  discovery  for  any  drink- 
ing man  to  make.  But  truth  compels  us  to  add  that  his 
habit  was  never  wholly  abandoned.  He  was  a  steam 
engine  for  business,  but  liquor  was  his  enemy.  He  lived 
and  died  at  Squire  Morgan's. 

About   the  time  Adams  came,  John   Schneider,  who 


104  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

was  helping  Capt.  Naper  build  a  saw-mill  at  Naperville, 
came  down  prospecting,  and  chose  a  site  for  a  mill  across 
the  river,  at  the  mouth  of  Blackberry  creek.  lie  hewed 
two  logs  and  hauled  them  on  the  ground,  to  hold  his 
claim,  and  left  it  until  the  next  Spring. 

LYMAN  AND  BURR   BRISTOL 

made  the  claim  where  John  Evans  now  lives,  and  built 
a  log  pen  covered  with  bark.  In  1834  thev  bought  the 
claim  of  Mr.  Adams,  embracing  a  large  tract  of  land 
west  of  Yorkville,  as  far  out  as  the  J.  P.  Black  place. 
It  made  several  good  farms.  In  1887  Lyman  Bristol 
and  Isaac  Hallock  bought  out  John  Schneider's  Bristol 
claim  and  mill  for  $7,000.  Mr.  Bristol  gave  the  pres- 
ent park  to  the  village.  He  went  to  California,  and  was 
killed  while  teamijig  over  the  mountains.  The  ftither, 
Justus  Bristol,  came  a  year  or  two  after  his  sons.  In 
the  fall  of  1833,  Isaac  Hallock,  Samuel  Smith  and  Eph- 
raim  Macomber  lived  in  one  cabin,  below  Oswego,  and 
were  all  sick  together  with  the  ague,  with  no  one  to  help 
them.  A  child  belonging  to  one  of  the  families  died, 
and  William  Harris  came  up  from  Long  Grove  and  bur- 
ied it.  Many  such  incidents  have  never  been  recorded, 
and  are  now  buried  in  the  graves  of  the  actors  in  them, 
there  to  remain  until  the  Great  Day. 

John  Matlock  bought  Mr.  Harris'  claim,  intending  to 
move  his  family  the  following  Spring.     June  1st, 

DANIEL  PEARCE 

and  family  arrived  at  Oswego,  having  come  all  the  way 
with   ox   teams.       They  had  a  tedious  journey,  for  the 
season   was  wet  and  the  mud  very  deep.       They  often 
met  droves  of  cattle  knee  deep  in  mud.      Mr.  Pearce  at 


MORE    NEW    SETTLERS.  105 

once  took  up  his  present  farm — one  hundred  acres  of 
prairie,  surrounded  with  timber,  on  Waubonsie  Creek. 
Before  this,  two  new  settlers  had  come  in  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river.  Samuel  Devoe  had  settled  the  year 
before  at  the  forks  of  the  DuPaoje,  and  leaving  there 
took  a  claim  where  Myron  L.  Wormley  now  lives.  Far- 
ther up  the  stream,  Ansel  Kimball  made  a  claim  at  the 
Nicholas  Young  place,  arriving  there  in  April.  He 
broke  up  some  land  and  sowed  ten  acres  to  winter  wheat, 
and  sold  it  the  same  fall  to  Levi  C.  Gorton.  Mr.  Gorton 
and  Benjamin  Phillips  came  together  that  fall  from 
Pennsylvania. 

THE  AVORMLEYS, 

John  and  William,  came  at  the  same  time.      They  trav- 
eled on   foot  from  New  York,   with  nothing  but  their 
rifles  and  a  change  of  clothes,  averaging  thirty-six  miles 
a  day.     William  made  his  claim  where  Oswego  Station 
now  stands,  and  John  where  he  still  lives.     Jacob  Car- 
penter settled  near  by,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river 
from  Montgomery.     His  brother,  David  Carpenter,  came 
at  the  same  time,  and  still  lives  at  Oswego.    Also,  Philip 
Mudgett.     In  the  Newark  timber,  Owen  Hay mond,  from 
Ohio,  settled  on  a  claim  adjoining  Clark  Hollenback's, 
where  Bosworth  now  lives.      At  Big  Grove,  Henry  and 
Marcus  Misner  settled  in  the  fall.       Their  claims  were 
on  the  north  east  corner,  between  Drumgool's  and  Rich- 
mond's.    Marcus  hired  Mr.  Booth  to  make  hay  for  him, 
while  he  returned  after  his  family.       It  was  in  August, 
and  while  Mr.  Booth  was  at  work, 

JOHN  WEST  MASON 

came  on  the  ground  and  bought  his  claim.     He  had  just 

8 


106 


HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 


finished  a  lar^e  addition  to  the  house,  making  it  double, 
with  a  passage  between  ;  and  having  sold  it,  he  at  once 
bought  the  next  claim  north,  and  built  a  log  house, 
16x32,  on  the  north  edge  of  the  strip  of  prairie  west  of 
Mr.  French's.  He  dug  a  well  there,  but  all  is  oblitera- 
ted now. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


S.    G.    MINKLER  S    STORY. 

T  WOULD  be  impossible  in  a  single  volume 
to  relate  the  adventures  of  every  pioneer  in 
his  journey  to  the  far  off  west.  The  fol- 
lowing narrative  is  therefore  given  as  a 
sample.  It  is  interesting  in  itself,  and  is 
valuable  for  the  insight  it  gives  of  the 
hardships  our  fathers  underwent  for  their 
children's  sakes.  It  is  the  story  of  Smith 
G.  Minkler,  one  of  our  neighbors  and  one  of  the  found- 
ers and  staunch  supporters  of  the  Illinois  State  Horti- 
cultural Society. 

In  May,  1833,  Joel  Alvard,  William  and  Joseph 
Groom,  Madison  Goislinc  and  Peter  Minkler,  and  their 
families,  Mrs.  Polly  Alvard,  a  widow  with  two  children, 
and  Edward  Alvard  and  Jacob  Bare,  unmarried  men, 
left   Potter's   Hollow,   Albany  county,  N.   Y..,   for  the 


THE  MINKLERS'  JOURNEY.  107 

West.  There  were  three  covered  wagons  and  twentj- 
five  persons,  and  as  they  came  on  their  numbers  were 
increased.  Joel  Alvard  had  been  to  Illinois  before,  and 
had  selected  a  tract  of  land  in  Tazewell  county,  and  it 
was  to  that  point  the  company  were  destined. 

After  nearly  three  weeks'  travel  through  ISIew  York 
and  Ohio,  they  stopped  a  few  days  at  Adrian,  Mich.,  to 
recruit,  and  were  strongly  urged  to  settle  there  by  a  man 
who  had  been  to  Illinois  and  returned  disgusted.  He 
declared  that  all  the  trees  he  saw  had  to  be  spliced  to 
make  rails.  He  was,  doubtless,  honest  in  his  opinion, 
for  he  had  made  but  a  flying  visit,  and  seen  only  the 
bushy  edges  of  the  groves.  The  party,  however,  were 
not  persuaded  to  abandon  their  original  intention. 

While  passing  through  Indiana  they  were  several 
times  stuck  so  fast  in  the  sloughs  that  it  needed  six 
horses,  with  a  man  at  each  horse's  head,  to  draw  a  wagon 
through.  At  one  time  they  were  detained  all  day,  and 
were  pulled  out  by  a  prairie  breaking  team  of  five  yoke 
of  oxen.  At  Morgan  Settlement,  near  the  Illinois  line, 
a  man  called  Farwell,  with  two  wagons,  joined  them. 
It  was  reported  they  could  not  cross  the  Calumet  to  go 
to  Chicago,  so  they  hired  a  guide  to  Hickory  Creek. 
The  guide  offered  his  services,  saying  he  had  been  over 
the  ground  and  knew  the  route  well.  Sometimes  they 
followed  trails  and  sometimes  they  made  their  own  track. 
At  Salt  Creek  the  hills  were  so  steep  they  were  obliged 
to  chain  the  wheels  and  slide  down.  Part  of  one  day 
they  were  detained  in  a  slough,  and  most  of  the  next 
day  they  traveled  through  hazel  brush  which  cleaned  the 
wagons  again.     Then  followed  a  terrible  thunderstorm, 


108  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

lastinor  all  night  and  until  nine  o'clock  the  next  morn- 
ing. The  women  were  protected  with  quilts  in  the 
wagons,  but  the  men  were  obliged  to  stand  the  drench- 
ing. They  were  now  on  an  Indian  trail,  and  the  guide 
returned,  saying  there  was  no  use  in  his  going  any  fur- 
ther, as  that  trail  led  straight  to  their  destination.  But 
soon  after  he  left  they  came  to  an  old  Indian  town  from 
whence  the  trails  radiated  in  every  direction,  and  they 
escaped  from  their  perplexity  by  taking  the  wrong  one, 
that  led  them  to  a  second  deserted  town.  They  were 
then  convinced  they  had 

LOST  THEIR  WAY, 

and  half  of  the  company  unloading  the  goods  and  leav- 
ing them  behind,  set  out  by  compass  with  empty  wagons 
to  find  the  Calumet  river,  for  somehow  they  were  per- 
suaded that  they  had  to  cross  that  stream.  They  returned 
unsuccessful,  however,  and  then  two  men  were  sent  back 
to  Morgan  Settlement,  and  Morgan  himself  came  on  to 
pilot  them  out  of  their  dilemma,  and  they  regained  their 
route  by  retracing  their  steps  some  twenty  miles.  It 
afterward  proved  that  their  guide  had  deceived  them  in 
regard  to  his  knowledge  of  the  route.  Coming  to  a 
stream  they  were  told  was  the  Little  Calumet,  Smith 
Minkler  waded  in  for  a  sounding  pole,  and  as  he  kept 
his  nose  above  water  in  the  deepest  place,  it  was  con- 
cluded to  be  fordable,  and  the  wagons  crossed.  The 
women  were  put  on  the  top  of  the  baggage,  and  when 
they  reached  the  other  side  everything  was  taken  out  to 
dry.  The  Big  Calumet  next  was  reached,  flowing  through 
a  marsh  as  level  as  a  floor  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see, 
and  bordered  on  either  side  by  acres  of  tall  black  rushes. 


DIFFICULTIES    OF   TRAVEL.  109 

Over  this   stream  they  built  a  rude  bridge  of  logs,  and 
part  of  the  teams  crossed,  but  part  could  not,  on  account 
of  the  soft  ground,   and  were  obliged  to  remain  there 
three  days.     Finally  they  reached  Hickory  Creek,  and 
remained  a  week  for  one  of  the  Alvards,  who  was  sick, 
to   get  better.     By  this  time  it  was  near  the  beginning 
of  harvest.    They  crossed  the  O'Plaine  at  Joliet — though 
not  a  solitary  cabin  marked  the  spot — but  at  Plainfield 
found  the  DuPage  too  high  to  ford.     There  was  a  camp- 
meeting  in  progress  at  the  time,  and  the  tired  emigrants 
were  offered  and  gratefully   accepted  the  hospitality  of 
the  tents  while  the  river  was  lowering  its  banks.     It  was 
a  more  formidable  stream   half  a  century  ago  than  in 
these  degenerate  days.     Now,  in  summer  time,  a  boy  may 
easily  wade  it.      The  spring  and  summer  of  1883,  how- 
ever, were  unusually  wet.     In  a  week  the  river  became 
fordable,  and  the  party  separated.     Far  well  returned  to 
the  Calumet  country  and  entered  a  large  tract  of  bottom 
land.     Minkler  remained  at  Plainfield  and  assisted  in  the 
harvest ;    but  his  son,  Smith,  with  the  rest  of  the  party, 
proceeded  toward  Tazewell  county.      They  stopped  at 
The  Springs   for  dinner — a  few  weeks  before  Mr.  Piatt 
erected  his  cabin   there — and  some  of  the  men,  taking 
hold  of  the  wagon  wheels,  shook  like  leaves,  with 

THE    AGUE. 

But  it  was  not  Kendall  county  ague.  It  was  a  harvest 
from  the  miasmatic  breath  of  the  Calumet  swamps,  and 
was  one  of  the  severest  of  their  Illinois  experiences.  A 
more  amusing  experience  w^as  with  the  wolves.  They 
had  heard  big  stories  of  wolves  calling  each  other  together 
for  prey,  and  w^hen  one  night  in  camp  the  howling  com- 


110  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY.  ' 

nienced  all  around  them,  thej  were  thoroughly  alarmed, 
and  forming  a  ring  around  their  wagons,  with  loaded 
guns,  prepared  to  sell  their  lives  at  a  cost  which  would  be 
fearful  for  even  wolves  to  pay.  But  they  were  attacked 
only  by  their  fears,  and  afterward  enjoyed  many  a  laugh 
at  their  wolf  panic.  Passing  Holderman's,  Donovan's,  and 
Ottawa,  they  came  to  Bailey's,  now  Tonica.  There  two 
of  the  party  bought  claims,  and  that  stopped  farther 
progress  in  the  direction  of  Tazewell  county.  Others 
went  up  the  Vermillion  river,  fifteen  miles  from  its  mouth, 
and  purchased.  In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Minkler,  meet- 
ing Peter  Specie  in  Plainfield,  had  accepted  the  offer  to 
come  out  to  the  Aux  Sable  grove  and  work  Specie's 
claim.  It  provided  him  a  present  home  and  would  give 
him  more  time  to  look  around.  In  a  few  weeks  Smith 
Minkler  set  out  to  go  to  his  father's,  and  Mr.  Goisline, 
who  was  his  uncle,  came  with  him.  When  this  side  of 
Ottawa,  Goisline  shot  himself  in  the  shoulder  while  pull- 
ing his  gun  to  him  out  of  the  wagon,  muzzle  first, 
intending  to  shoot  a  chicken,  and  leaving  young  Mink- 
ler, he  pushed  on  to  Holderman's  for  treatment.  Soon 
after  Goisline  left  him,  Mr.  Minkler  met  Peter  Specie 

DRESSED  IN  HIS  FATHER'S  CLOTHES, 

riding  horseback.  As  soon  as  he  saw  him  he  was  so 
shocked  that  he  could  hardly  stand  on  his  feet.  He 
thought,  "  That  man  has  killed  my  father."  As  soon  as 
Specie  ascertained  who  young  Minkler  was,  he  said,  "  If 
you  want  to  see  your  mother  alive  you  must  get  home 
to-night."  It  appeared  that  Mrs.  Minkler  was  taken 
dangerously  ill,  and  Specie  was  asked  to  go  after  the 
absent  son.     But  he  had  no  clothes  to  wear.      His  only 


DEATH    OF    MRS.    MINKLER.  Ill 

garments  were  his  squatter's  suit  of  buckskin  and  jean, 
so  greasy  and  antiquated  and  powder-stained,  that  after 
living  a  month  in  the  same  house  with  eastern  raiment, 
he  was  ashamed  to  wear  them  through  so  progressive  a 
town  as  Ottawa.  The  poor,  but  kind-hearted  man, 
therefore,  borrowed  his  tenant's  coat  and  hat,  and  was 
then  willing  to  set  forth  on  the  journey.  Smith  Mink- 
ler  arrived  at  the  Specie  cabin  at  midnight,  and  at  nine 
in  the  morning  his  mother  died — the  first  of  the 
party  to  lay  down  her  life  in  the  new  land.  She 
was  buried  on  Mr.  Minkler's  new  claim,  now  owned  by 
James  Stevenson,  on  the  west  side  of  Specie  Grove, 
where  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  would  fall  upon  her 
grave.  The  remains  have  since  been  removed  to  the 
cemetery.  She  had  said  before  starting  on  the  long 
journey  to  the  unknown  West:  "I  do  not  expect  to 
enjoy  it  myself,  but  for  the  sake  of  my  children,  I  am 
willing  to  go."  And  like  many  another  mother,  she 
gave  not  only  her  enjoyment,  but  her  life,  for  her  chil- 
dren's sake. 

After  the  funeral.  Smith  Minkler  returned  to  his  uncle 
at  Holderman's,  and  the  following  day  he  also  died. 
Ansel  Reed  was  sent  there  one  morning  on  an  errand, 
and  remembers  seeing  the  injured  man  with  his  wounded 
arm  swollen  frightfully.  Ebenezer  Morgan  was  there 
at  the  time.  The  Pearces  and  Wilson  had  arrived  a 
little  before.  Hazel  brush  covered  the  present  site  of 
Oswego,  and  an  Indian  trail  ran  through  it.  Mr.  Mink- 
ler was  down  there  one  day  when  Wilson  s  boys  were 
astride  of  an  Indian  pony,  and  the  Indians  with  wild 
shouts  of  glee  were  pulling  it  along  the  trail.     It  seemed 


112  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

to  be  great  fun  for  them.  Such  little  photographic 
scenes  give  us  more  vivid  ideas  of  the  times  than  pages 
of  description.  One  picture  might  be  entitled,  ''  Kill- 
ing hogs,"  for  those  animals  after  the  Indian  war  rapidly 
increased  in  the  woods  and  were  added  to  by  the  stock 
of  every  new  settler.  The  elements  of  a  picture  are  a 
man  on  horseback,  dressed  in  a  "warmas,"  an  overcoat 
made  of  an  Indian  blanket,  and  carrying  a  rifle.  He 
sights  his  game,  and  at  the  first  shot  brings  it  down, 
ties  it  by  the  snout  to  his  horse's  tail,  and  wends  his 
wav  homeward. 

Those  wild  hogs  were  often  the  most  dangerous  beasts 
that  roamed  the  woods.  Long  nosed,  long  legged,  gaunt 
and  fleet,  and  savage  as  wolves  :  they  could  be  caught 
alive  only  by  separating  them  by  dogs. 

It  was  hard  times  for  a  few  years.  Mr.  Minkler's 
family  once  lived  on  frozen  potatoes  and  hulled  corn 
while  the  father  was  away  for  provisions.  Mr.  Macom- 
ber  had  a  mortar  in  a  burned  out  stump,  and  a  pounder 
hung  over  it  on  a  spring  pole,  where  the  corn  was 
pounded  up.  Yet  the  times  were  weathered  through  and 
prosperity  waited  on  the  other  side,  though  as  Mr. 
Minkler  says,  "  Any  young  man  who  will  let  tobacco 
and  cigars  and  billiards  alone  can  pay  for  a  farm  now, 
at  present  prices,  easier  than  we  did  at  the  government 
price."  Mr.  M.  began  early  in  the  horticultural  career 
which  he  has  since  followed  so  successfully.  He  got  his 
first  apple  trees  of  Specie,  cradling  wheat  for  a  dollar  a 
day,  and  giving  the  dollar  for  four  trees.  Specie  had 
raised  them  from  the  seed,  and  he  thus  became  the 
pioneer    nurseryman  of  Kendall  county.     Those  apple 


THE    FIRST   APPLE   TREES. 


113 


trees  are  bearing  yet,  and  with  praiseworthy  persistence 
in  well  doing,  yielded  their  usual  crop  in  the  centen- 
nial year.  Fit  pattern  for  mankind.  It  is  only  a  useful 
life  that  leads  to  an  honored  old  age ;  and  in  the  Christ- 
ian's service  there  is  no  discharge  until  death,  and  that 
old  age  only  is  truly  honorable  that  bears  good  fruit 
unto  the  end. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


TOWNSHIP    PIONEERS. 

|AVID  EVANS,  from  western  North  Caro- 
§  Una,  was  the  first  settler  in  Little  Rock. 
He  had  a  friend  in  the  army,  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  who  was  with  his  com- 
^VsL  '  rades,  under  General  Scott,  in  their  chol- 
era-stricken march  through  northern  Kendall.  He  liked 
the  appearance  of  the  country,  and  told  Mr.  Evans 
where  to  find  the  best  land  in  the  Fox  River  Valley. 
He  followed  directions,  coming  up  the  Illinois  river 
to  the  Fox,  up  the  Fox  to  the  Big  Rock  creek,  and  up 
the  creek  two  miles  and  a-half,  and  made  his  claim  where 
Noah  Evans  now  lives.  There  were  none  to  dispute  his 
claim ;  no  mark  of  white  man's  hand  was  anywhere  to 
be  seen.  The  following  spring  he  brought  on  his  fam- 
ily— wife,  two  sons  and  a  daughter — and  the  only  sur- 
viving son  owns  and  occupies  the  farm  still. 

Another  who  could  have  competed  with  Mr.  Evans  for 


114  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

the  honor  of  being  the  first  settler  in  Little  Rock  was 

JOHN    DARNELL, 

who  in  1833  made  his  claim  on  the  west  side  of  Little 
Rock  creek  timber,  and  built  his  cabin  where  his  widow, 
Leah  Darnell,  still  lives.  Except  at  Oswego  and  Bristol 
he  was  the  only  settler  with  a  family  for  many  miles 
north  of  the  river.  He,  too,  was  from  North  Carolina, 
and  had  been  four  years  in  Marshall  county,  in  the  same 
region  with  the  Hollenbacks  and  Ilavenhills  and  others. 
Fort  Darnell,  in  the  war  of  the  previous  year,  was  built 
on  his  fathers  farm,  near  Magnolia,  by  running  a  stock- 
ade around  his  house  and  well.  Three  years  before,  a 
poor  boy  by  the  name  of  John  S.  Armstrong,  stopped 
there  on  his  way  from  Ohio.  The  good  success  that  has 
since  attended  the  skill  and  energy  of  that  same  poor 
boy  is  too  well  known  to  us  all  to  need  relating  here. 
It  is  a  pity,  however,  that  he  did  not  locate  nearer  the 
borders  of  Kendall  county,  that  we  might  legitimately 
expatiate  on  the  romance  of  that  early  journey,  and  his 
coming  to  the  Darnell  cabin  forty-eight  years  ago. 

The  news  sent  back  by  John  Darnell  was  so  encour- 
aging that  the  ensuing  spring  his  father,  Benjamin  Dar- 
nell, and  his  brothers,  James,  Abram,  Enoch,  Benjamin 
and  Larkin  came  on.  The  latter  died  soon  after.  James 
claimed  on  Big  Rock  creek,  below  Evans',  and  Abram 
and  Enoch  by  the  Fox  river  timber  in  Fox  township. 
Other  settlers  in  Little  Rock  in  1833  were  Holland  Par- 
sons, William  Campbell  and  Mr.  Cox. 

The  first  improved  claim  in  Seward  was  made  in  the 
spring  of  1832  by  an  Irishman  by  the  name  of  Hugh 
Walker,  an  acquaintance  of  Thomas  Covill's  of  Ottawa. 


TOWNSHIP    PIONEERS.  115 

t 

He  built  a  log  hut  on  the  east  side  of  the  Aux  Sable 
timber,  on  land  now  owned  by  Mr.  House,  broke  up  ten 
acres  and  sowed  it  to  wheat,  and  barring  his  puncheon 
door  with  a  basswood  back  log,  hurried  over  the  prairie 
away  from  the  Indians,  and  forted  at  Plainfield.  He 
boarded  with  a  Mr.  Fish,  and  having  nothing  else  where- 
with to  pay  his  board  bill  he  turned  over  to  his  host  his 
Aux  Sable  field  of  wheat,  perhaps  regarding  the  danger 
of  harvesting  it  to  be  as  much  as  it  was  worth.  But 
Fish  secured  the  services  of  the  home  soldiers  and  they 
cut  it  for  him,  part  standing  guard  while  part  reaped 
the  grain.  The  war  closed  in  time  for  Mr.  Walker  to 
sow  his  field  to  winter  wheat,  but  neither  did  he  reap 
that,  for  the  next  spring  he  sold  to 

CHESTER    HOUSE, 

of  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  who  came  to  Plainfield  pros- 
pecting, and  meeting  Mr.  Covill,  was  piloted  out  to 
Kendall  county.  He  visited  the  springs  at  Plattville 
first,  but  finally  made  his  claim  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Aux  Sable,  opposite  Walker's.  There,  a  few  rods  from 
a  beautiful  sulphur  spring,  he  built  his  cabin,  hauling 
the  necessary  lumber  from  Plainfield.  It  contained  but 
one  room,  the  roof  leaked,  and  snakes  gathered  the 
crumbs  that  fell  through  the  wide  seams  in  the  floor. 
But  it  was  a  home,  though  so  different  from  the  com- 
fortable surroundings  that  were  left  behind  ;  and  not 
only  a  home,  but  a  frequent  resting  place  for  the  trav- 
eler, and  a  beacon  light,  for  persons  were  so  often  lost 
on  the  prairie  that  through  the  whole  of  the  ensuing  win- 
ter on  dark  nights  Mrs.  House  kept  a  candle  burning  in 
the  west  window, — and  so  level  was  the  prairie,  and  so 


116  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

clear  from  underbrush  and  trees,  that  the  feeble  "  light 
in  the  window"  could  be  seen  for  six  or  eight  miles. 

The  present  residence  of  J.  W.  House  stands  on  the 
site  of  the  old  cabin.  Mr.  House  bought  out  Mr. 
Walker,  and  embraced  both  sides  of  the  creek. 

In  the  fall 

JOHN   SHURTLIFF 

made  the  claim  which  he  still  occupies,  on  the  Aux 
Sable  creek,  one  mile  below  House's.  He  came  from 
Vermont  to  Plainfield  with  Chester  Smith  in  1831,  and 
had  therefore  been  two  years  in  the  country  before  he 
became  the  second  permanent  settler  in  the  town  of  Sew- 
ard. He  hired  Peter  Specie  to  break  seven  acres  for 
him,  paying  him  by  driving  his  breaking  team  one 
month.  Specie  had  six  or  seven  yoke  of  oxen,  and  did 
breaking  and  teaming  for  the  settlers. 

Mr.  See's  claim  at  the  Aux  Sable  springs  had  passed 
into  other  hands,  and  was  sold  to 

DANIEL    PLATT 

for  $80.  Mr.  Piatt's  ancestors  were  the  founders  of  the 
historic  town  of  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  where  the  British 
troops,  September  11th,  1814,  while  resolutely  attempt- 
ing to  cross  the  bridge,  were  mowed  down  by  the  Amer- 
icans until  the  river  for  three-quarters  of  a  mile  below 
was  red  with  blood.  He  was  but  a  little  boy  then,  but 
well  remembers  that  terrible  battle.  He  came  West 
with  Burnett  Miller,  his  brother-in-law,  and  Piatt 
Thorne,  following  the  Sac  trail  to  Ottawa.  Having 
bought  his  claim  he  erected  a  board  shanty  for  his  family 
while  he  was  building  a  more  commodious  log  cabin,  and 
thus  became  the  first  actual  settler  in    the   town    of  Lis- 


AUX  SABLE   WELLS.  117 

bon.  The  name  Aux  Sable  means  Sandy  creek.  It  was 
in  those  days  a  more  pretentious  stream  than  now  ;  forty 
years  of  civilization  has  tamed  its  spirit.  It  was  remark- 
able for  springs  and  ponds,  and  for  abundance  of  fish. 
One  pond,  near  the  road,  on  Piatt's  premises,  was  eighty 
rods  long  and  ten  rods  wide,  and  so  full  of  pickerel  that 
in  summer  when  the  long  grass  growing  up  impeded 
their  progress,  they  would  jump  in  the  canoe.  One 
could  go  out  in  the  morning  and  catch  enough  fish  for 
breakfast  in  a  few  minutes.  The  grass  grew  as  high  as 
one's  head,  and  was  three  or  four  feet  high  over  the  prai- 
ries everywhere.  The  springs  are  magnetic.  The  entire 
district  was  probably  at  one  time  the  bed  of  a  large  river 
which  flowed  at  right  angles  to  the  present  streams,  but 
parallel  with  the  main  bed  of  the  Aux  Sable.  Obadiah 
Naden,  one  mile  south,  and  George  Mason,  six  miles 
south-east,  each  have  flowing  wells.  The  latter  was 
sinking  a  tubular  well,  and  when  fifty-five  feet  below  the 
surface  water  was  struck,  which  flowed  over  the  top,  and 
it  has  continued  to  flow  ever  since.  The  last  of  Mr. 
Piatt's  wells  was  sunk  in  1871.  They  were  located  by 
Mr.  Harper,  a  water  wizard  of  Plattville,  with  a  forked 
apple  twig  held  fork  downward  under  his  nose.  But 
how  much  the  twig  had  to  do  with  it  is  still  undecided. 
The  wells  are  at  the  store,  house  and  barn  ;  the  deepest, 
fifty-one  feet;  the  third,  thirty-one  feet,  and  flows  un- 
ceasingly through  a  two  inch  pipe. 

Big  Grove  received  several  accessions  from  Oneida 
county,  N.  Y.  William  Perkins,  Eben  and  Levi  Hills 
came  at  the  same  time.  Eben  Hills  came  overland  with 
the  families,  while  the  other  men  came  by  water,  and 


118  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

selected  their  claims  along  by  Big  Grove,  west  of  Haven- 
hill's.  In  1835  Levi  Hills  rented  the  tavern  stand  and 
one  hundred  acres  of  land  of  Mr.  Holderman,  and  re-let 
the  land  to  Mr.  Perkins.  There  was  a  large  amount  of 
travel,  which  had  been  increasing  since  1833,  for 

THE  STAGE  LINE 

between  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  began  to  run  that  sum- 
mer, via  Plainfield,  Piatt's,  Holderman's  and  Ottawa. 
J.  T.  Temple  was  proprietor  of  the  line.  The  first  stage, 
with  its  spanking  four  horse  team,  left  Chicago  July  4th, 
and  was  piloted  to  Ottawa  by  J.  T.  Caton,  since  Judge. 
This  was  an  important  event  for  the  infant  settlements, 
and  placed  Kendall  county  at  once  on  one  of  the  national 
highways.  And  in  the  judgment  of  our  fathers,  sup- 
ported by  the  unasked  and  often  emphatically  expressed 
opinions  of  travelers,  we  had  as  flattering  a  prospect  of 
becoming  great  as  anything  on  the  lake  end  of  the  line. 

August  10th,  Chicago  was  organized  into  a  corporate 
village,  and  soon  after  the  Chicago  Democrat  was  started. 

The  village  of  Naperville,  however,  had  at  that  time 
the  largest  number  of  inhabitants,  and  at  Hadley,  then 
called  O'Plain,  in  Will  county,  the  Baptist  church  was 
organized  by  Rev.  A.  B.  Freeman,  one  week  before  the 
first  organized  church  in  Chicago. 


CHAPTER  XVllI. 

THE  OLD  TRAPPERS. 

^BOUT  the  time  Mr.  Goisline  died  at  Holder- 
man's  Grove,  and  Mrs.  Minkler  at  Specie 
Grove,  Big  Thunder,  the  renowned  Winne- 
bago chief,  died  in  his  lodge  at  Belvidere, 
and  was  buried  sitting  up,  wrapped  in  blan- 
kets. His  tomb  was  a  log  pen,  covered 
with  earth,  and  it  was  carefully  kept  in 
repair  by  his  people  as  long  as  they  remained  there. 
Their  time  was  not  long,  for  the  edict  had  gone  forth 
that  all  Indians  must  leave  their  native  hunting  grounds 
and  cross  the  great  river  toward  the  setting  sun.  Sep- 
tember 27th,  1833, 

SEVEN    THOUSAND    POTTAWATOMIES 

were  assembled  in  tents  in  the  timber  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  Chicago  river,  and  there  the  Government  made  a 
treaty  with  them  by  which  they  ceded  all  their  remain- 
ing territory  east  of  the  Mississippi,  and  a  good  deal 
west  of  it.  So  earnest  was  the  Government  in  having 
them  fully  represented,  that  the  farmers  were  hired 
to  take  in  their  wagons  all  who  were  not  provided  with 
ponies.  A  few  days  afterwards,  five  government  wagon 
loads  of  silver  half  dollars,  to  help  pay  the  annuities, 


120  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

toiled  up  through  the  sloughs  to  Chicago,  stopping  at 
Plattville  over  night.  The  Indians,  however,  did  not 
all  disappear  for  three  or  four  years  after  that.  They 
went  in  detachments,  tardily  and  unwillingly,  and  often 
returned  in  smaller  parties  to  visit  again  their  old  homes. 
They  hunted  small  game  in  the  groves,  fished  along  the 
streams,  and  gleaned  in  the  wheat  fields  in  harvest  time. 
They  were  frequent  visitors  at  the  houses  of  the  settlers, 
always  stealing  in  softly,  so  that  often  they  were  not  per- 
ceived. Such  was  the  instinct  of  their  wild  nature. 
Especially  in  storms  did  they  seek  the  white  man's  shel- 
ter. Boys  used  to  play  with  them,  wrestle  with  them, 
run  races  with  them,  and  sometimes  go  oft'  to  the  river  to 
visit  them.  They  learned  to  like  pork,  but  did  not  stay 
in  one  place  long  enough  to  raise  a  hog,  so  were  fain  to 
procure  the  coveted  bacon  from  the  more  stationary  pale 
face.  It  was  therefore  a  common  occurrence  for  an  In- 
dian to  come  to  the  door  with  a  string  of  fish,  or  some 
other  catch,  and  making  his  wants  known  without  any 
store  of  useless  verbiage,  say:  "Pork,  how  swap?" 
They  wore  nothing  on  their  heads,  winter  or  summer. 
With  moccasins  and  leggins  of  rawhide,  and  filthy  blan- 
ket, they  passed  through  all  weather.  Loose  deer  hair 
was  stuff'ed  into  their  moccasins  in  winter  to  keep  the 
feet  warm.  The  same  dress  constituted  part  of  the  out- 
fit of  a 

GENERATION  OF  PIONEERS, 

who  were  passing  away  as  the  eastern  settlers  came  in. 
They  added  only  a  coon-skin  cap,  with  the  tail  dangling 
behind,  and  a  deerskin  frock,  open  in  front  and  belted 
in  the  middle,  forming  convenient  wallets  on  each  side 


TRADERS  AND  KEEL  BOATMEN.        121 

for  chunks  of  hoe  cake  and  jerked  venison.  They  were 
hunters,  trappers  and  traders,  and  from  continued  asso- 
ciation with  the  Indians  became  half  savage  in  manners 
and  appearance.  Of  a  similar  stripe  were  the  keel  boat 
men  of  the  same  period.  The  keel  boat  was  long  and 
narrow,  with  running  boards  along  each  side,  on  which 
stood  the  fifteen  or  twenty  hands  needed  to  push  the 
boat  up  stream,  with  setting  poles.  One  man  always 
stood  astride  of  the  steering  oar,  and  another  might  gen- 
erally be  seen  on  deck  sawing  away  at  a  fiddle  with  the 
most  desperate  energy.  They  were  on  the  rivers  what 
the  trappers  were  on  the  land,  only  more  so,  as  they  had 
opportunities  for  getting  together  in  larger  numbers  and 
having  lawless  sprees.  The  keel  boat  and  the  trading 
post  have  passed  away  ;  and  the  old  emigrant  wagon, 
too,  with  its  broad  tires  and  heavy  tongue,  its  high  and 
curving  side-boards,  ribbed  and  barred  and  riveted,  glar- 
ing in  red  paint,  and  the  four  horses  or  oxen  toiling 
along  before  it.  And  now  that  we  are  at  it,  we  might 
swell  the  list  of  obsoletes  indefinitely,  winding  up  with 
the  hatchels,  wooden  plows  and  tinder  boxes.  The  lat- 
ter were  almost  indispensable,  but  not  always  available 
or  attainable.  The  settlers  usually  kept  fire  covered  up 
all  night  in  the  ashes  on  the  hearth,  but  sometimes  it 
went  out,  and  then  if  they  had  no  tinder  they  would  have 
recourse  to  powder  and  gun,  or  borrow  of  their  neigh- 
bors. The  early  settlers  in  Seward  often  brought  fire- 
brands from  Plainfield,  ten  miles  away,  and  it  was  a  vex- 
ation that  sometimes  happened  that  when  within  half  a 
mile  of  their  homes,  the  cherished  spark  would  shut  its 
eyes  and  expire. 

9 


122  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

During  the  night  of  November  13th,  1833,  occurred 
the  famous 

FALLING  OF  THE  STARS, 

continuing  until  daylight,  which  put  an  end  to  the  scene. 
Those  who  saw  it  never  forgot  it  to  their  dying  day.  In 
this  section  it  was  cloudy  the  first  part  of  the  night,  and 
oaly  those  who  were  up  before  the  first  break  of  day  had 
the  opportunity  of  beholding  it.  All  were  awestruck, 
while  many  were  affrighted,  believing  that  the  world  was 
coming  to  judgment.  But  when  that  night  comes  all  the 
world  shall  know  it,  and  "every  eye  shall  see  Him." 

Many  explanations  have  been  attempted  of  this  won- 
der, viz  :  that  they  come  from  volcanoes  on  the  earth, 
from  volcanoes  in  the  moon,  from  compressed  vapor  in 
the  atmosphere,  from  some  far  away  exploded  planet,  &c. 
But  it  is  now  believed  that  they  revolve  in  a  permanent 
orbit  of  their  own,  like  millions  of  flocks  of  birds  flying 
around  the  sun,  and  sometimes  the  earth's  atmosphere 
hits  them  with  such  a  blow  as  to  set  them  on  fire  and 
bring  them  down. 

The  following  note  is  from  E.  Colbert,  Professor  of 
Astronomy  in  Chicago  University :  "  The  only  theory 
now  accepted  by  astronomers  is  that  the  meteoric  mat- 
ter revolves  in  a  prolonged  orbit  within  the  solar  sys- 
tem, extending  like  a  monster  leech  over  about  one-quar- 
ter of  the  orbit,  and  each  particle  revolving  in  a  little 
more  than  thirty-three  years.  The  earth  passes  a  cer- 
tain point  in  this  orbit  every  November,  but  only  encoun- 
ters, the  meteors  when  they  are  passing  that  point  at  the 
same  time.  Our  next  encounter  with  the  meteor-storm 
will  be  before  daylight,  November  14th,  1899,  or  a  little 


I 


EMIGRATION    OF   THIRTY-FOUR.  123 

earlier — the  point  in  which  the  orbits  meet  not  being 
stationary." 

It  mav  be  added  that  stray  meteors  are  everywhere — 
invisible  by  day,  but  seen  every  night.  They  are  mostly 
little  fellows.     The  larger  ones  we  call  fire-balls. 

In  1834,  very  early  in  the  season,  emigration  began 
to  move.  Among  the  earliest  were  two  men  from  Put- 
nam county,  Mr.  Hull  and  James  M.  Smith,  who  in 
February  came  up  on  a  prospecting  tour.  They  fol- 
lowed up  Fox  river  as  far  as  Millbrook,  and  were  so  well 
pleased  with  the  country  and  carried  back  such  a  good 
report  that  when  they  emigrated  in  the  following  month, 
the  families  of  R.  BuUard  and  William  Vernon  came 
with  them,  and  they  made  claims  along  the  Fox  river 
timber,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river. 

John  M.  Kennedy  and  Joseph  Weeks  came  in  the 
same  party.  The  latter  v/as  born  in  Gallatin  county, 
Illinois.  Elias  Doyle  came  soon  after  from  the  same 
locality  in  South  Carolina. 

During  the  summer,  R.  W.  Cams,  J.  S.  Murray  and 
E.  Dyal  came  in  a  company  from  Camden,  South  Caro- 
lina, and  settled  on  the  north  side  of  Hollenback's  grove. 
Mr.  Cams  bought  the  Harris  place  of  Robert  Ford,  now 
owned  by  Thomas  Atherton.  Mr.  Murray's  claim  is 
now  owned  by  George  Nichols  and  Nathaniel  Austin, 
and  Mr.  Dyal's  by  William  Van  Cleve.  John  A.  New- 
ell, then  a  young  man,  came  with  them.  They  also 
brought  out  two  colored  women,  former  slaves,  who  had 
been  a  long  time  in  their  families — Dinah  in  Mr.  Cams' 
family,  and  Silvie  in  Mr.  Murray's.  They  were  the 
first  colored  people  in  the  county  and  both  died  here. 


124  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

Mr.  Hull  claimed  six  hundred  acres  now  owned  by 
Dwight  Curtis  and  Lewis  Steward.  Mr.  Smith  joined 
him  on  the  west,  the  farm  now  owned  by  Nathaniel  Aus- 
tin. Mr.  Vernon  came  next^  locating  the  farms  now 
owned  by  George  Nichols,  H.  C.  Myers  and  Robert 
Barron.  Mr.  Bullard  took  from  Mr.  Vernon's  claim 
furrow  down  as  far  as  Hollenback's  Grove.  It  is  still 
owned  by  J.  M.  and  J.  R.  Bullard  and  Jacob  Budd. 

About  the  same  time  Robert  Ford  and  William  Burns 
bought  the  Harris  claim  of 

.JOHN    MATLOCK, 

and  added  more  to  it  on  the  north  side  of  the  grove. 
Mr.  Matlock  was  from  Indiana.  His  family  consisted 
of  five  sons  :  John,  who  after  two  years  returned  again 
to  Indiana  ;  West,  well  known  as  Deacon  Matlock,  now 
residing  in  the  town  of  Kendall ;  George,  who  became 
a  physician  and  died  in  California  ;  Joseph,  a  lawyer  in 
Marcello,  Ind.  ;  and  David,  a  Baptist  pastor,  who  died 
at  Makanda,  111.  William  Paul  and  Simeon  Oatman 
came  with  them.  The  former  was  Mr.  Matlock's  son- 
in-law.  He  bought  of  George  Hollenback  the  farm  now 
owned  by  John  Evans,  west  of  Pavilion.  The  Bristol 
brothers  had  it  first,  and  left  it.  Then  Henry  Ford  took 
it,  and  sold  to  Hollenback.  Paul  is  probably  living  now, 
somewhere  out  West.  Oatman  is  dead.  When  David 
Matlock  and  his  father  were  out  prospecting  the  previous 
autumn,  they  slept  one  night  in  the  bark  covered  hut 
erected  by  the  Bristol  brothers  on  their  own  claim,  not 
more  than  two  rods  from  John  Evans'  residence.  It 
snowed  in  the  night,  and  when  they  awoke  in  the  morn- 
ing they  were  covered  with  a  sheet  of  snow.     It  was  a 


MATLOCK,  FORD,  PRICKETT.  125 

cold  reception  in  the  new  land,  but  it  did  not  damp  their 
ardor,  though  it  did  their  clothes.  After  selling  to  Rob- 
ert Ford,  Mr.  Matlock  bought  out  James  Ford,  whose 
claim  covered  the  present  site  of  Pavilion  and  the  farm 
of  John  Kellett.  His  sons  also  took  other  claims 
towards  the  river.  Henry  Ford  lived  where  W.  L.  Ford 
does  now.  The  family  were  from  Tazewell  county,  where 
they  had  moved  from  Ohio 'in  1825.  Samuel  Piatt  came 
with  them,  and  taking  a  claim  on  the  southern  point  of 
Long  Grove,  sent  for  his  mother  and  the  rest  of  the 
family.  There  were  three  sons  and  four  daughters  liv- 
ing together.  But  all  are  gone — scattered  or  dead. 
Almon  Ives,  from  Vermont,  father  of  Rev.  F.  B.  Ives, 
came  in  and  settled  between  Ford  and  Matlock,  where 
Mr.  Moulton  now  lives.  There  was  now  almost  a  con- 
tinuous line  of  claims  from  Millbrook  to  Oswego. 

JAMES    PRICKETT, 

from  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  was  among  the  earliest 
to  make  a  claim  at  Long  Grove,  but  when  he  returned 
with  his  family  the  claim  was  jumped,  and  he  bought 
another  in  Apakesha  Grove.  It  is  still  owned  by  Elijah 
Prickett.  The  only  evidence  of  Mr.  Kellogg's  claim 
there  was  some  rails  he  had  cut  in  the  timber.  Besides 
Elijah,  Mr.  Prickett  had  three  other  sons :  Charles,  now 
living  at  Nettle  Creek  ;  John,  at  Seneca ;  and  Aaron, 
below  Dwight.  Also  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bowen, 
near  Lisbon.  His 'first  log  house  had  door  and  floor  of 
basswood  puncheons,  and  still  stands  back  in  the  grove, 
a  relic  of  bygone  days.  He  died  after  being  in  the 
country  nine  years,  and  his  wife  survived  him  but  one 
year. 


V26  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Three  families  from  Middlesex  county,  Mass.,  came 
into  the  neighborhood.  One  of  them,  Dea.  Isaac  Whit- 
ney, settled  on  the  south  edge  of  Big  Grove,  opposite 
Lott  Scofield's.  His  son,  Lucius  Whitney,  born  there 
in  1836,  is  now  postmaster  at  Morris.  The  second,  Jon- 
athan Raymond,  now  residing  in  Bloomington,  made 
the  claim  now  owned  by  Mr.  Van  Buskirk.  The  third 
was 

DR.  GILMAN  KENDALL, 

now  of  Lisbon,  who  settled  between  the  two  others,  mak- 
ing claims  for  himself  and  younger  brother,  Sylvanus, 
on  land  now  owned  by  David  Brown  and  C  Vreeland. 
Dr.  Kendall  had  moved  to  Bond  county,  111.,  three 
years  previously,  and  leaving  that  place,  struck  out, 
intending  to  find  a  new  home  somewhere  in  the  region 
of  Chicago.  Now  occurred  two  new  things  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  county.  He  put  up  a  frame  house.  The 
timbers,  to  be  sure,  were  split  out,  but  it  was  a  true 
frame,  nevertheless.  What  sawed  stuff  was  necessary 
was  obtained  at  Schneider's  mill,  which  started  at  Bris- 
tol. The  hardware  was  got  at  Chicago.  There  was  a 
store  at  Ottawa,  but  people  went  to  the  lake  for  their 
large  trading.  But  second,  the  house  was  located  on 
the  prairie,  eighty  rods  from  the  friendly  shelter  of  the 
grove.  The  settlers  were  astonished  at  such  audacity 
and  believed  the  building  could  not  stand.  The  wind 
would  blow  it  down  ;  the  cold  would  pierce  it  through. 
But  it  did  stand,  and  the  example  was  so  infectious  that 
the  next  year  Levi  Hills  moved  his  log  tavern  far  out 
upon  the  prairie,  on  the  site  of  Lisbon,  as  a  half-way 
stage  station  between  Plattville  and  Holderman's. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

CLAIM  FURROWS. 

R.  SCHNEIDER  havino;  finished  Pa- 
per's mill  the  previous  season,  put  up 
his  own  at  the  mouth  of  Blackberry 
creek,  that  spring — 1834.  A  few 
days  after  he  came  on  the  ground  his 
oxen  broke  away  and  returned  to  their 
familiar  quarters  on  the  DuPage.  He 
had  a  man  with  him  who  was  too  timid  to  venture  by 
himself  on  the  lonely  journey,  so  they  went  both 
together,  leaving  their  wagon,  tools,  chains,  and  cook- 
ing utensils  on  the  knoll  west  of  the  Blackberry  mill. 
Instead  of  being  absent  two  days,  he  was  detained  two 
weeks,  and  returned  fully  expecting  to  find  his  little 
property  stolen  by  the  Indians.  But  not  an  article  was 
disturbed,  and  Mr.  Schneider  ever  had  a  superior  respect 
for  his  dusky  neighbors. 

William  and  John  Thurber,  from  Chatauqua  county, 
N.  Y.,  came  in  with  Almon  Ives.  John  went  on  down 
the  river,  but  William  settled  on  the  south  side  of  Long 
Grove,  where  the  noonday  sun  would  shine  the  warmest. 
He  had  a  family  of  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  who 
constitute  the  present  families  of  Thurbers  in  this 
county.       After  taking  his  original  claim  he  bought  out 


128  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

one  and  another  around  him  until  he  owned  a  tract  of  thir- 
teen hundred  acres  of  good,  available  land.  He  died  in 
1862.  It  was  the  ambition  of  many  of  the  new-comers  to 
embrace  as  much  land  as  possible,  though  it  were  but  to 
sell  ao;ain  to  the  next  settler.  Lonor  claim  furrows  ran 
everywhere,  across  the  prairie,  around  the  groves,  inter- 
secting each  other,  and  telling  in  their  mute  language 
of  the  cross-purposes  of  mankind.  Every  man  felt  that 
the  virgin  country  was  before  him,  and  it  was  his  priv- 
ilege to  be  married  to  as  much  of  it  as  his  squatter  sov- 
ereignty could  defend. 

David  Carpenter  and  John  Dunlap,  with  an  ox  team, 
ran  a  furrow  around  their  claim,  at  the  head  of  the  big 
slough,  south  of  Oswego.  Soon  after,  Lemuel  Brown 
and  T.  B.  Mudgett  ran  their  furrow  around  a  still  larger 
section,  east  of  Ebenezer  Morgan's,  enclosing  a  part  of 
the  other.  On  this  last,  excluding  what  it  embraced  of 
the  first  claim,  nine  farms  are  now  laid  out.  But  this, 
besides  their  own,  included  also  claims  for  L.  B.  Judson 
and  Mr.  Hill,  who  had  not  yet  arrived.  Over  the  river, 
the  following  year,  a  claim  furrow  was  run  a  half  day's 
journey,  from  Milford  far  out  to  the  Somonauk  prairie. 
So  gloriously  large  were  the  ideas  of  our  grandfathers. 
Mr.  Dunlap  remained  here  but  a  short  time.  Mudgett 
stayed  several  years.  L.  B.  Judson  came  in  the  fall. 
He  was  from  Massachusetts.  He  bought  out  Brown, 
Mudgett,  Clark,  Dan.  Ashley,  and  others,  until  he 
owned  seven  or  eight  hundred  acres  of  land.  Lemuel 
Brown's  cabin,  on  the  bank  of  the  run,  in  West  Osweoro, 
was  the  second  house  in  the  place. 

Another  class   of  men   were    the   professional  claim 


WAUBONSIE   AND   WHISKY.  129 

speculators.  They  stayed  on  a  place  long  enough  to 
stake  it  out  and  build  a  log  hut,  and  sell  it  for  what  they 
could  get.  Among  these  was  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Fowler.  He  had  several  sons,  and  pursued  the  business 
for  a  number  of  years,  both  in  this  and  in  other  coun- 
ties. At  one  time  he  lived  between  Oswego  and  Aurora, 
and  occasionally  furnished  whisky  to  the  Indians,  by 
which  rows  followed.  The  settlers  made  complaint  to 
Fowler,  and  he  stopped  it.  But  Waubonsie,  the  fierce 
Pottawatomie  giant,  who  then  lived  at  Oswego,  could 
not  do  without  his  fire-water.  He  could  not  terrify  his 
braves  nor  abuse  his  wives  without  the  aid  of  the  hellish 
fluid.  So  when  his  messenger  was  refused  he  sent  again. 
He  only  wanted  a  gallon — that  would  be  enough  for 
another  precious  spree.  But  the  second  messenger 
returned  empty.  Then  Waubonsie's  mighty  soul  was 
infuriated,  and  seizing  his  royal  canoe,  he  went  up  the 
stream  like  a  dusky  thunderbolt,  crazy  for  a  drunk, 
and  in  a  short  time  came  back  with  a  barrel  half  full. 
At  one  fell  swoop  he  cleaned  out  the  unfortunate  white 
man.  History  does  not  state  whether  he  returned  the 
barrel  or  kept  it  for  his  squaws  to  stir  hominy  in. 

Several  settlers  claimed  along  the  Blackberry.  Among 
them  were  Mr.  Lowry,  James  W.  Helm,  and  John 
Short.  The  latter  afterwards  built  the  first  tavern  in 
Bristol.  It  stood  on  the  hill  above  the  bridge.  He  now 
lives  in  Iowa.  John  Darnell,  on  the  Little  Rock, 
was  joined  by  his  brothers. 

HARTLEY  CLEVELAND 

settled  in  the  town  of  Bristol,  and  ran  a  breaking  team. 
After  three  years  he  made  the  claim  on  which  he  still 


130  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

lives,  in  the  town  of  Na-au-say.  There  were  on  it  three 
basswood  trees,  which  could  be  seen  for  miles  in  all 
directions,  and  were  called  the  Lone  Tree  Grove.  It 
had  long  been  a  landmark  for  the  Indians,  for  their 
trail  passed  it,  and  Mr.  Cleveland  built  his  cabin  over 
the  trail.  One  tree  of  the  original  three  still  survives, 
and  if  it  had  a  tongue  in  its  head  it  would  be  a  wonder- 
fully interesting  historian,  for  it  had  a  wide  field  of 
observation  before  orchards  and  shade  trees  obstructed 
the  view.  Another  settler  at  Long  Grove  was  Abijah 
Raymond,  from  Ohio. 

AT    NEWARK 

George  B.  Hollenback  put  up  another  building  opposite 
his  store,  where  Mrs.  Niblo's  millinery  shop  now  is,  and 
it  began  to  be  more  widely  known  as  '*  Hollenback 's 
Trading  Post."  The  second  building  he  sold  the  next 
year,  1835,  to  John  C.  Phillips,  for  a  tavern.  There 
was  also  a  cabin  on  Mrs.  Cook's  corner,  opposite  S. 
Bingham's,  and  that  comprised  the  sum  total  of  Newark 
in  1834.  Out  on  the  north-west  edge  of  Big  Grove, 
Mr.  Love,  Mr.  Moore  and  one  other  settler  had  claims, 
and  Walter  Stowell  bought  them  out  and  lived  in  Love's 
cabin.  Mr.  Stowell  had  lived  for  three  years  on  the 
DuPage,  above  Naperville,  and  was  originally  from  Con- 
necticut. South  of  Big  Grove,  adjoining  Deacon  Whit- 
ney's, William  Perkins  had  a  field  of  corn,  and  Edward 
Wright,  then  a  young  man,  husked  it  for  him.  Mr. 
Wright  met  Perkins  in  Plainfield,  and  after  the  huskino- 
was  done  he  went  to  Whiteside  county  and  remained 
several  years,  afterwards  settling  at  Lisbon  and  finally  at 
Newark.     Another  settler  east  of  the  grove  was  George 


BEGINNING   OF    MILLINGTON.  131 

W.  Craig,  a  brother-in-law  of  the  Havenhills.  On 
November  11th,  1834,  a  daughter  was  born  to  him,  who 
is  now  Miss  Eliza  M.  Craig,  of  Piano.  Mr.  Craig 
moved  to  the  present  site  of  Waukegan,  where  his  wife 
died.  He  afterward  died  in  California.  Rev.  Jno. 
Beaver  also  died  in  California.  He  came  to  Pavilion  in 
1834,  and  used  to  preach  occasionally.  C.  Y.  Godard 
came  the  same  year,  traveling  all  the  way  from  New 
York  on  horseback.  Caleb  Mason,  a  son-in-law  of 
Daniel  Kellogg,  came  from  Vermont,  and  claimed  the 
old  Badgley  place,  near  Newark.  He  wintered  at  Kel- 
logg's.  Charles  Royal  settled  above  Milford.  Thomas 
Ervin,  of  Ohio,  bought  a  claim,  south  side  of  Long 
Grove,  of  Robert  Ford,  for  $100.  Lived  there  eight 
years,  and  then  bought  south  on  the  prairie.  There 
were  four  sons  :  Thomas,  Robert,  William  and  Edward. 
George  H.  and  Alexander  Rogers  date  from  about  this 
year.  The  latter  made  the  claim  which  he  afterward 
sold  to  John  Cook,  in  the  town  of  Fox.  He  lived  some 
time  in  Little  Rock.  He  was  a  public  spirited  man,  and 
filled  several  offices  of  trust.  He  was  well  known  as 
riding  a  peculiar  mule  that  sometimes  balked.  His  sons 
were  John  and  William  K.  Rogers. 

AT    MILLINGTON 

the  first  beginning  was  made  by  Samuel  Jackson  and 
George  F.  Markley,  in  the  fall  of  1834.  Jackson  came 
from  near  Cincinnati,  and  on  his  way  up  the  Ohio  river, 
falling  in  with  Markley,  the  two  joined  fortunes.  They 
were  both  single  men.  They  took  up  all  Millington, 
including  Marshall  Bagwell's  farm,  and  three  hundred 
acres  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.     They  built  a  log 


132  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

cabin  on  the  present  site  of  Joseph  Jackson's  residence, 
and  bep;an  preparations  for  building  a  saw  mill. 

No  additional  settlements  were  made  in  the  town  of 
Lisbon.  At  Piatt's,  two  men  died  and  were  buried  on 
the  banks  of  the  AuSable.  Two  saw  mills  were  started 
— Schneider's  at  Bristol,  and  Morgan's  in  Oswego — but 
not  in  time  to  do  much  that  season.  Fielding  and  Mar- 
shall Havenhill  and  Mr.  Booth  hauled  logs  to  the  mill 
at  Munsontown,  on  Big  Indian  Creek,  to  get  lumber  for 
cabin  floors.  Up  to  that  time  their  floors  had  been  the 
hard  ground — floors  which  required  no  scrubbing,  save 
that  which  could  be  given  with  the  round  splint  broom 
that  stood  in  the  corner  or  hung  by  a  string  outside. 


CHAPTER  XX, 


THE    GOVERNOR  S    PARTY. 


'EARLY  all  of  our  early  settlers  were 
from  the  east,  but  many  of  them,  as  we 
have  seen,  were  from  the  south.  John 
and  Frederick  Witherspoon  were  from 
North  Carolina,  and  settled  in  Little 
Rock.  The  latter  became  a  Protestant 
Methodist  preacher,  and  died  near  Som- 
onauk.  The  former,  after  some  vears.  returned  to  his 
southern  home,  and  thereupon  the  following  story  is  told  of 
him.  During  the  war,  Sergeant  Geo.  Sherman,  of  Co. 
K,  12Tth  Illinois,  while  on  the  celebrated  march  to  the 
sea,  went  into  a  house  in  North  Carolina,  with  a  squad 
of  men,  to  procure  dinner.  Several  young  ladies,  daugh- 
ters of  the  proprietor,  were  at  home,  but  they  looked 
with  scorn  on  the  blue  uniforms  of  our  soldiers  and  refused 
to  move  a  finger  towards  getting  dinner.  The  sergeant 
remonstrated,  pleaded,  threatened,  but  the  blooming  dam- 
sels were  firm  in  their  determination  and  yielded  never 
an  inch.  If  the  hungry  warriors  had  been  "butternuts," 
the  best  the  house  afforded  should  be  brought  out,  but  to 
place  southern  cake  and  coffee  before  northern  "yanks," 


134  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY. 

never  I  The  Southern  heart  was  fired.  Loaves  for  con- 
federate chivalry,  but  not  one  mouldy  crumb  for  the 
azure-coated  children  of  the  North.  The  ser^^eant  was 
defeated  on  a  field  of  his  own  choosing ;  yet,  no,  he  had 
one  shot  left  in  the  ammunition  box,  which  he  suspects 
will  bring  the  enemy  to  terms.  "  Did  you  ever  live  in 
Illinois,  ladies  ?"  ''  Yes."  "  On  Fox  river  ?"  '^  Yes." 
''And  were  you  acquainted  with  such  and  such  an  one?" 
"Yes,  and  are  vou  from  there  ?"  "  You  are  the  daucrh- 
ters  of  John  Witherspoon  ?"  "  Yes,  but  who  are  you  ?" 
"  My  name  is  George  Sherman,  and  these  men  are 
your  old  neighbors,  so  and  so."  "  Is  this  possible  I" 
And  so  the  battle  was  won.  Smiles  chased  away  the 
frowns,  and  the  men  gained  their  dinner. 

WILLIAM    MULKEY 

was  from  Ashe  county,  North  Carolina.  With  a  wife  and 
three  children  in  a  two-horse  wagon  he  came  to  Putnam 
county,  Illinois.  It  was  late  in  the  fall,  and  he  was  advised 
not  to  go  up  to  Fox  river  then,  as  no  white  men  were  there, 
so  it  was  said,  and  provisions  were  scarce.  He  therefore 
hired  a  house  of  Isaac  Funk,  the  great  land  owner,  and 
came  up  alone  and  made  his  claim  two  miles  above  John 
Darnell's,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  timber  from  his 
present  residence.  Having  cut  five  house  logs  as  his 
sign  manual  that  the  property  was  spoken  for,  he  returned 
and  moved  up  his  family  the  ensuing  spring.  Frank 
Stotts  came  with  him.  Frank  had  several  yoke  of  oxen 
and  a  big  Pennsylvania  wagon,  and  he  did  teaming  and 
breaking  for  all  the  country.  But  he  was  most  cele- 
brated as  a  bee  hunter.     Never  was  Frank  Stotts  so  like 


MULKEY,    MOORE,    JOHNSON.  135 

himself  as  when  with  hunter's  dress  and  bee  bait  he  was 
lining  a  bee  to  its  treasure  home. 

Mr.  Mulkey  soon  sold  to  Moses  Inscho,  and  bought 
his  present  place  of  John  C.  McKinzie,  also  from  North 
Carolina.  His  wife  had  died  of  consumption,  and  was 
the  first  one  buried  in  the  old  cemetery  just  west  of  Little 
Rock  village,  in  1835.  After  that  he  had  no  more  wish 
to  stay  in  Illinois,  and  selling  his  claim  to  Mulkey  he 
went  back  desolate  to  the  old  home. 

Richard  Moore  made  his  claim  on  the  other  side  of 
Big  Rock  creek  from  John  and  Benjamin  Evans.  Others 
came  who  remained  but  a  short  time,  and  returned  or 
pushed  on  to  other  fields,  their  very  names  having 
passed  out  of  rememberance. 

Oliver  Johnson,  of  Chatauqua  county.  New  York, 
arrived  October  12th,  just  in  time  to  attend  the  funeral 
of  one  of  William  Thurber's  children,  at  Mr.  Matlock's. 
Sermon  by  Rev.  Royal  Bullard.  Mr.  Johnson  sheltered 
his  family  in  Lyman  Bristol's  log  cabin  at  Yorkville, 
and  while  there  entertained  Rulief  Duryea  and  James 
Cornell,  who  were  around  looking  for  a  location.  From 
the  cabin  on  the  hill  the  country  on  the  Bristol  side  of 
the  river  lay  spread  out  like  a  panorama  before  Mr. 
Johnson's  eyes  every  daj,  and  there  he  resolved  to 
settle,  making  the  claim  now  owned  by  Price  Boyd. 
His  wife,  Mrs.  Sylvia  B.  Johnson,  was  the  first  white 
woman  on  Bristol  soil.  He  built  his  cabin  walls  up  as 
high  as  Mrs.  Johnson  could  reach,  and  waited  until  some 
one  looking  for  land  should  come  along  to  help  him  raise 
the  remaining  logs. 

In  Seward,  the  next  settler  after  House  and  Shurtliflf 


136  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

was  Eli  Gleason,  then  unmarried;  then  followed,  in  the 
same  year,  Alanson  Milks,  who  afterward  bought  and 
sold  a  number  of  prominent  tavern  stands  ;  Josiah  White- 
man,  who,  with  his  family,  was  much  of  the  time  sick 
with  the  ague,  and  removed  to  Plainfield  ;   and 

JOEL    A.  MATTESON, 

wife  and  child.  The  latter  bought  of  Mr.  House,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  creek,  land  now  owned  by  William  Leg- 
gett.  He  and  Dr.  Oliver  Corbin,  Joseph  Gleason,  Jer- 
emiah J.  Cole,  and  Mr.  Lamb,  before  their  families  came 
out,  kept  house  together  in  the  AuxSable  timber,  on 
Matteson's  claim,  a  part  of  the  winter,  while  getting 
out  losrs  for  their  houses  and  rails  to  fence  their  fields. 
It  is  not  often  that  such  a  notable  company  of  frontiers- 
men are  found  together  as  that  season,  camped  in  the 
far-oif  wilds  of  Seward.  In  1836  Matteson  met  C.  E. 
Ware  on  the  wharf  in  Detroit,  brought  him  out  here, 
sold  to  him,  and  removed  to  Joliet,  where  he  went  on 
increasing  until  1852,  when  he  became  Governor  of  the 
State  of  Illinois.  Henry  Fish,  of  Joliet,  was  his  wife's 
little  brother,  and  will  not  shrink  from  having  it  remem- 
bered that  when  a  barefooted  boy  he  went  after  the  cows, 
or  drove  the  oxen  many  a  day.  And  he  doubtless  did 
it  well.  Dr.  Corbin  has  also  acquired  a  reputation,  and 
J.  J.  Cole  will  readily  be  recognized  as  a  former  County 
Clerk  and  Treasurer.  He  and  the  Gleasons  built  the  first 
frame  house  on  what  is  known  as  "  the  ridge,"  a  swell 
of  land  between  the  DuPage  and  the  AuxSable.  It  is 
some  sixty  feet  high,  about  a  mile  wide,  and  can  be 
traced  the  whole  length  of  the  DuPage  river,  from  its 
rise  in   Cook   county   to  its  mouth  at  the  Illinois  river. 


FIRST    SCHOOL    HOUSE    IN    COUNTY.  137 

Here  and  there  along  its  course  are  views  of  surpassing 
beauty,  and  it  was  those  spots  that  were  selected  by  the 
pioneers.  The  splendid  site  of  Gleason's  house,  near 
the  south  Na-au-say  line,  is  now  deserted.  All  those 
early  comers  mentioned  were  from  New  York. 

Sometime  in  the  summer  Frink  and  Walker  started  a 
stage  line  from  Chicago  to  Galena,  crossing  the  Fox 
river  at  Oswego,  then  called  Hudson  by  the  New  York 
settlers.     In  the  fall,  the 

FIRST  SCHOOL  HOUSE 

in  the  county  was  erected  at  Pavilion,  about  eighty  rods 
north  of  the  present  Academy.  C.  B.  Alvard  was  the 
first  teacher.  It  was  a  log  house,  with  slabs  for  benches, 
and  has  years  ago  disappeared. 

At  this  time  three  families  came  to  Aurora,  and  built 
the  first  cabin  in  that  busy  town,  on  a  site  by  the  river, 
above  the  present  site  of  the  cemetery  ;  but  Waubonsie's 
claim  had  not  been  extinguished,  and  they  removed  to 
Montgomery,  then  called  Graytown,  and  to  Naperville 
for  the  winter.  One  of  the  families  was  that  of  Seth 
Reed,  whose  daughter,  Mrs.  Prentiss,  is  a  resident  of 
Newark.  Mrs.  Reed  made  the  first  flag  ever  raised  in 
Aurora,  July  4,  1836. 

In  Ottawa  there  were  fourteen  houses,  six  on  the 
north  side,  and  eight  on  the  south,  including  the  old 
fort  with  its  stockade  in  front.  So  it  appears  in  a  draw- 
ing of  the  place  made  by  J.  M.  Roberts,  dated  March 
7th,  1834. 


10 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


THE  PLEDGE  AND  THE  COVENANT. 

It  IS  the  popular  impression  that  fron- 
1  tiersmen  are  as  a  class  profane  and  irre- 
ligious characters,  but  this  is  not  true  of 
the  great  body  of  our  Kendall  county 
forefathers.  Some  of  them  were,  but 
more  of  them  were  not,  and  the  present 
religious  character  of  our  county  is  addi- 
tional proof  of  this  assertion.  For  it  is 
with  places  as  with  men — the  after  life  is  shaped  very 
much  by  the  early  training.  The  boy  is  father  to  the 
man.  If  one  inquires  into  the  antecedents  of  either  a 
pleasant  and  desirable,  or  a  rough  and  undesirable  neigh- 
borhood, he  will  be  likely  to  find  the  same  characteris- 
tics in  its  first  settlers,  or  in  that  part  of  them  that  gave 
tone  to  the  society  or  the  settlement.  And  it  is  proper 
that  we,  who  shake  the  tree  our  fathers  planted,  should 
regard  it  enough  to  preserve  the  record  of  the  planting. 
The  laborers  have  gone,  but  their  work  is  our  wealth ; 
the  travelers  have  passed,  but  their  footprints  are  our 
heritage. 

There  lies  before  me,  as  I  write,  a  document  yellow 
with  age.      It  is  made  by  pasting  with  wafers  two  half 


TEMPERANCE    SOCIETY.  139 

sheets  of  letter  paper  together.     It  is  Kendall  county's 

FIRST  TEMPERANCE  PLEDGE, 

drawn  up  and  signed  in  June,  1834,  and  contains  the 
names  of  a  large  proportion  of  the  settlers  then  on  the 
ground.  The  names  of  the  men  are  signed  in  one  col- 
umn and  the  ladies  in  another,  as  follows  : 

For  the  purpose  of  promoting  the  cause  of  temperance  in  our 
vicinity,  we  pledge  ourselves,  each  to  the  other,  that  we  will  not  use 
ardent  spirits  of  any  kind,  except  in  the  case  of  extreme  necessity ; 
nor  will  we  have  them  used  in  our  employ,  nor  give  them  to  our  work 
people,  or  visitors,  or  others,  but  will  discountenance  their  use  on  all 
proper  occasions,  both  by  example  and  influence. 

Prairie  La  Belle,  June  ist,  1834, 

NAMES.  NAMES. 

R.  BuLLARD,  Hannah  Cunningham, 

Lyman  Bristol,  Rachel  Hollenback, 

Edward  G.  Ament,  Anna  Hollenback, 

Burr  Bristol,  Susan  Ament, 

Peter  Wykoff,  Emily  Ann  Ament, 

Justus  C  Ament,  Mary  Misner, 

Fred.  Witherspoon,  Milly  Misner, 

Henry  S.  Misner,  Mary  Booth, 

Oilman  Kendall,  Esther  L.  Bullard, 

Levi  Hills,  Nancy  Ives. 

Eben  M.  Hills, 
John  West  Mason, 
Sylvanus  Kendall, 
Almon  Ives, 
Almon  B.  Ives, 
Simeon  P.  Ives. 

Four  of  these  signers  are  still  among  us  :  Mr.  Ament, 
in  Newark ;  Mr.  Mason,  in  Big  Grove  ;  and  Dr.  Ken- 
dall and  brother,  in  Lisbon.  Most  of  them  have  been 
dead  many  years,  but  so  much  at  least  of  their  works 
we  are  glad  to  have  live. 


140  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL  COUNTY. 

About  the  time  this  pledge  was  circulated,  the 

FIRST  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

in  the  county  was  organized,  and  held  at  Mr.  Matlock's, 
in  Pavilion.  Almon  Ives  was  Superintendent,  and  sole 
teacher,  for  he  formed  the  school  into  a  class  and  taught 
it  himself  On  Sunday  afternoons  the  same  children 
wended  their  way  through  the  groves  and  along  the 
Indian  trails  to  the  Sunday  School,  as  afterward  sat  on  the 
split  puncheons  in  the  log  school  house,  under  the  teach- 
ing of  Mr.  Alvard.  The  following  spring  another  Sun- 
day School  W'as  organized  in  Mr.  Bullard's  house,  he 
becoming  Superintendent.  This  year  two  churches  were 
organized  in  the  county.     The  first  one  was  the 

BIG   GROVE    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 

The  early  settlers  in  that  vicinity  were  largely  Con- 
gregationalists,  and  the  idea  of  forming  a  church  for  the 
purpose  of  watching  over  each  other  and  for  the  more 
regular  ministry  of  the  Word,  had  occurred  to  more  than 
one,  but  it  was  not  carried  out  until  Rev.  Samuel  Grid- 
ley  came  in  with  his  family  sometime  during  the  summer. 
He  was  from  Williamstown,  Massachusetts.  He  called 
on  all  the  families  in  the  neighborhood,  found  out  how 
many  Congregationalists  there  were,  and  appointed  a 
day  at  Mr.  Mason's  house.  He  preached  to  the  assem- 
bled company,  after  which  a  covenant  and  articles  of 
faith  were  adopted,  and  eighteen  persons  put  their  names 
thereto.  Among  them  were  Messrs.  Gridley,  Mason, 
Eben  and  Levi  Hills,  Gilman  and  Sylvanus  Kendall, 
and  Isaac  Whitney,  with  their  wives.  The  meetings  of 
the  little  ''church  in  the  wilderness"  were  held  at  Mr. 


FIRST   RELIGIOUS   MEETINGS.  141 

Mason's  during  the  season.  Mr.  Gridley  was  the  first 
pastor,  but  soon  removed  with  his  family  to  Ottawa, 
where  he  has  a  son  still  living. 

The  next  two  years  the  meetings  were  held  in  the 
school  house  in  the  middle  of  the  grove.  Revs.  Green- 
wood, Perry,  Benjamin  Smith  and  Calvin  Bushnell  were 
the  preachers.  At  the  latter's  first  preaching  service, 
James  Codner,  of  Lisbon,  and  Mr.  Ford,  of  Chebanse, 
opened  the  house  and  made  the  fire. 

The  meeting  house  was  built  in  1837.  Anthony  Lit- 
sey  gave  two  acres  of  land  for  the  site,  a  few  rods  north- 
east of  his  own  dwelling.  Others  contributed  the  logs 
and  slabs.  Abraham  Holderman  gave  the  nails.  Every- 
body helped  in  some  way,  whether  church  members  or 
not,  and  the  work  was  soon  done.  The  walls  were  of 
round  logs,  and  floor  boards  and  shingles  were  split  out 
with  an  axe.  The  seats  were  rough  benches,  and  the 
heating  apparatus  was  a  brick  fireplace.  Rev.  Calvin 
Bushnell  was  the  first  pastor.  Then  followed  Revs. 
Smith,  Elliott,  Stewart,  Perry  and  Loughead.  The 
building  was  also  used  as  a  school  house.  Among  the 
teachers  were  Miss  Charlotte  Wright,  of  Newark,  now 
Mrs.  Hubbard,  of  Elgin  :  Lucy  Lester ;  Miss  Whitney, 
now  Mrs.  Booth,  of  Newark;  George  Norton,  of  Lis- 
bon ;  and  William  Cody,  now  of  Morris.  While  Miss 
Whitney  was  teaching,  her  brother.  Deacon  Whitney, 
put  in  a  new  stove,  costing  five  dollars.  The  house  stood 
a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  only  a  few  scattering  bricks 
now  mark  the  site  of  the  first  church  building  in  Ken- 
dall county.  Around  that  spot  on  Sabbath  days  strings 
of  ox  teams  were  hitched,  and   the  fathers   and  grand- 


142  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

fathers  of  the  present  generation  stood  in  knots  about 
the  door,  or  seated  on  the  benches  within,  listened  to 
the  preacher's  words.  On  that  spot  often  the  Holy 
Spirit  descended,  and  converts  standing  upon  the 
puncheon  floor  related  with  joy  and  trembling  voices 
their  first  Christian  experience,  so  that  the  gospel  aroma 
going  out  not  only  blessed  but  made  famous  the  entire 
neighborhood.  A  young  lady  from  another  locality,  who 
w^as  engaged  to  teach  there,  said  she  was  "going  where 
God  was." 

THE    LONG    GROVE    BAPTIST    CHURCH, 

now  Pavilion,  was  organized  by  Rev.  A.  B.  Freeman,  at 
the  house  of  Almon  Ives.  There  were  but  six  members, 
viz  :  Rev.  J.  F.  Tolman,  w^ife,  son  and  daughter,  and 
Mr.  Ives  and  wife.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Matlock  joined  soon 
after,  and  several  others.  In  December  the  church  was 
formally  recognized,  and  Mr.  Freeman  baptized  David 
Matlock,  probably  the  first  convert  baptized  in  Fox 
river.  Some  ten  years  afterward  Brother  Matlock  re- 
ceived a  license  to  preach,  and  was  subsequently  ordained 
near  Galena,  w^iile  employed  there  in  hauling  charcoal, 
and  has  since  made  full  proof  of  his  ministry.  Elder 
Freeman  died  within  a  few  wrecks  after  the  organization 
of  the  church,  and  Rev.  J.  F.  Tolman  became  the  first 
pastor,  and  continued  so  for  twelve  years,  receiving  but 
one  hundred  dollars  yearly  salary.  He  was  from  Need- 
ham,  Massachusetts,  and  was  descended  from  genuine 
Puritan  stock.  One  of  his  sons  is  a  valued  member  of 
the  church  at  Batavia.  Another  is  pastor  at  Baldwins- 
ville.  New  York.  A  third  is  District  Secretary,  at 
Chicago,    of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union, 


MINISTERS  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  143 

and  has  himself  been  a  missionary  to  Burmah.  A 
daughter  is  Mrs.  Prof.  Bacon,  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Tolman 
died  at  Sandwich,  March  28th,  1872,  aged  eio;hty-eight 
years.  He  was  well  known  as  "Father  Tolman."  He 
was  succeeded  at  Pavilion  by  Rev.  Shadrack  Walker  in 
1847,  Rev.  Ebenezer  Scofield  in  1848,  and  Rev.  John 
Young  in  1850.  Mr.  Scofield  was  ordained  there,  and 
was  afterwards  killed  by  the  cars. 

REV.  A.  B.  FREEMAN 

was  one  of  our  pioneer  missionaries,  and  a  faithful  man. 
He  took  cold  while  returning  from  Pavilion  to  Chicago, 
riding  in  the  rain,  lived  but  a  short  time,  and  was  buried 
in  the  old  burying  ground,  a  short  distance  up  the  North 
branch.  It  was  near  Archibald  Claiborne's  brickyard, 
on  the  open  prairie,  with  no  fence  or  enclosure  of  any 
kind.  Mrs.  Freeman  desired  her  husband's  grave  en- 
closed, and  employed  S.  S.  Lathrop,  of  Bristol,  then  a 
carpenter  in  Chicago,  to  do  the  work.  The  lumber  yard 
was  kept  by  Mr.  Carver,  a  profane  man,  but  when  Mr. 
Lathrop  offered  to  pay  for  the  boards,  the  other  refused, 
saying  :  "  Take  it  along  ;  I  guess  I  can  do  that  much  for 
Elder  Freeman."  The  adjoining  grave  was  that  of  Mr. 
Alden,  a  cousin  of  B.  F.  Alden,  of  Bristol,  and  as  there 
was  lumber  enough,  the  fence  was  put  around  both  graves. 
But  all  was  obliterated  years  ago,  and  to-day  it  is  impos- 
sible to  identify  the  spot.  Milwaukee  avenue  is  laid  out 
over  the  ground. 

When  the  Bristol  Baptist  church  was  formed,  the 
members  at  Pavilion  went  there,  and  the  latter  organiza- 
tion was  abandoued.  But  in  a  few  years  it  was  reorgan- 
ized, and  since  then  there  have  been  flourishing  churches 


144  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

at  both  points.  The  meeting  house  at  Pavilion  was  built 
^,  in  1850.  Rev.  William  Haigh,  afterwards  chaplain  of 
the  36th  Illinois,  and  now  pastor  at  Galesburg,  was 
ordained  at  Pavilion,  and  became  the  first  pastor  after 
the  house  was  built.  He  was  followed  by  Mr.  Gale, 
John  Newell,  R.  B.  Ashley,  A.  D.  Freeman,  Jonas 
Woodard,  J.  B.  Dibell,  John  Wilkins,  David  Matlock, 
John  Hudson,  Asa  Prescott. 

THE    METHODISTS. 

had  classes  at  Bullard's,  Millbrook,  and  Daniel  Pearce's, 
Oswego,  but  no  church  organization.  This  county  was 
included  in  what  was  called  the  Des  Plaines  Mission. 
In  1855  it  became  the  Fox  river  circuit,  and  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Roval  was  transferred  to  it  from  the  Fort  Clark 
Mission,  now  Peoria.  He  formed  classes  also  at  Samuel 
McCarty's  Aurora ;  Charles  Geary's,  Wheaton ;  Mr. 
Enoch's,  Rockford ;  Mr.  Mason's,  Belvidere ;  and  at 
Marengo,  Crystal  Lake,  Dundee,  and  other  points.  Mr. 
Royal  was  from  West  Virginia,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Illinois  Conference  in  1831.  In  1834  he  held  a  camp 
meeting  at  the  Sulphur  Springs,  then  called  Debolt's, 
below  Ottawa.  He  was  a  faithful  preacher,  and  his  name 
is  held  in  reverence  by  all  who  remember  him.  In  1853 
he  removed  to  Oregon  for  his  health.  In  crossing  the 
plains  he  would  not  travel  on  Sunday,  and  on  that  account 
he  was  left  behind  with  two  other  families.  But,  remark- 
ably enough,  they  reached  their  destinations  some  time 
before  the  larger  company,  and,  unlike  them,  did  not 
lose  one  thing  by  the  Indians.  He  died  triumphantly 
September  29th,  1870.  His  brother,  Charles  Royal, 
has  a  son  now  living  twelve  miles  south  of  Morris. 


LAYING   OUT   VILLAGE    OF   NEWARK. 


145 


And  so,  leaving  the  temperance  pledge  and  the  church 
covenant  to  stand  guard  over  the  year  1834,  we  bid  it 
farewell,  and  pass  on  to  the  next. 


CHAPTER  XXII 


SPECULATION  AND  BUSINESS. 


E  NOW  enter  upon  the  year  1835 — 
the  year  of  the  beginning  of  the  seven 
years'  Seminole  war  in  Florida — the 
year  of  the  great  fire  in  New  York, 
December  16th — the  year  the  public 
debt  of  the  United  States  was  wholly 
paid  up,  and  the  ship  of  State,  losing 
its  ballast,  went  plunging  on  into  extravagant  specula- 
tions and  appropriations  for  internal  improvements, 
which  ended  in  the  wreck  of  1837.  Emigrants  in  1835 
came  West  in  increased  numbers.     In  the  town  of 

BIG  GROVE, 

John  C.  Phillips  and  Geo.  B.  Hollenback  laid  out  the 
village  of  Newark,  calling  it  Georgetown.  Major  Hitt, 
now  living  in  Ottawa,  was  the  surveyor,  and  made  his 
corners  by  running  out  from  the  Indian  boundary  line 
on  the  south  end  of  Dr,  Sweetland's  farm,  by  Kellogg's 


146  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

grove.  Mr.  Phillips  was  from  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  died  in  1849  of  the  cholera.  He  went  one 
Friday  to  the  Illinois  river  to  do  some  work  for  Abe 
Ilolderman,  died  the  next  day,  and  was  buried  on  Sun- 
day. In  1835  he  bought  Geo.  B.  Hollenback's  second 
buildins,  now  Mr.  Wunder's  ice  house.  It  is  one  of  the 
oldest  frame  buildings  in  the  county.  Another  is  Dr. 
Kendall's  first  house,  now  Simeon  Brown's  barn.  Mr. 
Brown  moved  it  in  1851,  and  the  operation  took  sixty 
yoke  of  oxen  and  seventy-five  men  three  days.  The 
old  roof  was  replaced  ten  years  ago,  and  the  frame  is  as 
sound  as  ever.  At  the  other  end  of  the  town,  Levi 
Hills  moved  his  log  house  from  the  grove  to  the  present 
site  of  Lisbon.  It  was  the  first  house  in  Lisbon,  and 
stood  where  Henry  Sherrill's  stone  house  now  stands. 
The  prairie  settlement  was  immediately  increased  by  the 
arrival  of  Horace  Moore  and  his  two  sons,  who  took  up 
a  large  tract  of  land,  and  have  been  identified  with  Lis- 
bon ever  since.  James  Root  came  with  them,  but  after- 
ward returned  east.  William  Richardson,  a  single  man, 
drove  one  of  Root's  teams.  He  died  at  Lisbon  in  1857. 
These  were  all  from  Oneida  county,  New  York.  From 
the  same  vicinity  came  Rev.  Calvin  Bushnell.  His 
wife  and  family  of  ten  children  joined  him  the  following 
spring.  Also  Zenas  McEwen  and  his  sons  William 
and  Ezra.  He  went  back  after  his  family  and  returned  in 
1838,  settling  at  Lisbon.  Also,  William  B.  Field,  who 
entered  the  farm  now  owned  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Kent.  He 
kept  it  three  years,  and  sold  to  Mrs.  Sears,  a  widow  with 
three  children,  and  removed  to  Newark.  He  died  in 
Morris  in  1866. 


A    LOG    SCHOOL    HOUSE.  147 

During  the  fall  a  log  school  house  was  built  in  the 
center  of  Big  Grove,  so  as  to  accommodate  the  settlers 
on  the  borders  of  the  timber,  each  of  whom  made  a  path 
of  their  own  among  the  trees  and  through  the  hazel  and 
wild  gooseberry  bushes,  along  which  the  children  went 
to  school  and  the  families  went  to  meeting.  Earl  Adams 
was  the  first  teacher,  and  George  Norton  succeeded  him. 
Mr.  Adams  died  two  years  ago.  Mr.  Norton  is  still  the  pop- 
ular town  clerk  of  Lisbon.  The  official  schedules  of 
that  early  school  in  the  woods  would  be  interesting,  but 
they  are  undoubtedly  lost.  In  addition  to  the  settlers 
already  mentioned  in  the  town  of 

LISBON, 

George  W.  Edmunds,  from  New  York,  settled  near 
Piatt's — the  only  cabin  between  Piatt's  and  House's. 
Another  was  T.  G.  Wright,  but  the  prairie  towns  did 
not  fill  up  as  rapidly  as  the  timbered  towns.     In 

SEWARD 

a  log  school  house  was  built  on  Mr.  House's  land,  in  the 
Aux  Sable  timber,  by  Messrs.  House,  Mattison  and  White- 
man.  Miss  Sarah  Gilman,  now  Mrs.  Miles  Royce,  of  Plain- 
field,  was  the  first  teacher.  The  children  she  taught  are 
our  grandfathers  and  grandmothers  now,  and  some  are 
passed  away  to  the  better  land,  but  doubtless  she  still  loves 
to  remember  that  homely  school  house,  around  which  the 
wolf  tracks  could  be  seen  on  winter  mornings,  and  to 
recall  the  happy  faces  of  her  scholars  as  they  ranged 
themselves  after  recess  on  the  rough  benches.  Several 
families  afterward  moved  away,  and  there  was  no  more 
school  for  two  or  three  years.     In  the  town  of 

FOX 

a  number  of  new  families  settled.     At  Millington  the 


148  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

frame  of  the  saw-mill  went  up,  and  the  dam  was  started 
at  a  point  opposite  a  large  island,  covered  with  heavy 
timber.  Of  the  island,  only  a  little  remnant  is  left,  and 
the  saw-mill  was  carried  away  by  the  freshet  a  year  ago. 
In  the  fall,  Jesse  Jackson  came  out  on  horseback  pros- 
pecting, from  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  made 
arrangements  for  moving  his  family  out  in  the  ensuing 
spring.  Fletcher  Misner,  the  only  survivor  of  our  pio- 
neer blacksmiths,  came  in  and  worked  in  a  shop  on  the 
Millbrook  road,  opposite  Mr.  Crimmins'.  In  the  fall  of 
the  next  year  he  removed  to  Newark,  and  had  his  shop 
where  the  hotel  stands,  and  his  residence  where  D.  E. 
Hunger  lives. 

In  the  timber  between  H.  C.  Myers'  and  the  river,  a 
new  store  was  opened  by  William  Vernon  and  Willet 
Murray.  The  frame  still  stands,  and  is  used  by  Robert 
Barron  for  a  shop.  Over  the  line  in  LaSalle,  Levi  Rood 
settled  on  the  same  farm  on  which  he  died.  His  brother, 
Lancelot  Rood,  came  out  in  1834,  and  was  for  years  the 
surveyor  and  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  settlement. 

Joseph  Mason,  who  settled  afterwards  near  Norway, 
was  in  1835  the  blacksmith  at  Holderman's,  using  the 
tools  bought  by  Holderman  of  George  B.  Hollenback. 
He  lived  a  little  while  at  George  HoUenback's,  Sr.,  and 
while  there  dug  the  first  grave  in  the  Newark  and  Mil- 
lington  cemetery.  It  was  in  1836,  for  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Smith,  who  lived  with  Owen  Haymond  and  who 
formerly  owned  the  Bates  claim,  at  Millbrook.  After  a 
year  or  two,  Mr.  Mason  was  able  to  buy  a  set  of  tools 
for  himself,  and  he  opened  the  shop  on  the  place  where 
he  now  is. 


PIONEER   OF   MILLBROOK.  149 

Isaac  Grover  may  be  claimed  as  the  pioneer  of  Mill- 
brook.  His  farm  covered  the  site  of  that  village,  and  he 
lived  first  down  by  the  ford,  and  afterward  in  the  edge 
of  the  river  timber,  west  of  the  town  and  north  of  the 
railroad  track.  An  old  house  belonging  to  Edward  Budd 
still  stands  there.     In 

LITTLE    ROCK 

John  Raymond  bought  out  Mr.  Cox,  in  the  Rob-Roy 
timber.  Barnabas  E.  Eldridge,  commonly  called  Bar- 
ney Eldredge,  bought  out  Mr.  McJimpsey,  in  the  Big 
Rock  timber,  and  resided  on  the  claim  until  his  death. 
John  Cook  claimed  on  the  other  side  of  the  creek. 

Mr.  Eldredge  and  John  Wheeler  came  together  from 
Schoharie  county.  New  York.  On  the  boat  they  fell  in 
with  J.  S.  Cornell,  who  told  them  of  the  beauties  of  the 
Fox  river  country,  and  invited  them  to  accompany  him. 
From  Chicago,  however,  they  went  out  along  Rock  river, 
but  not  finding  a  spot  to  their  liking,  they  came  to  the 
Fox  and  settled.  Mr.  Wheeler  lives  still  on  his  original 
claim. 

James  Mason,  for  sixteen  dollars  worth  of  breaking, 
bought  of  Robert  Ford  his  slender  title  to  a  thousand 
acres,  more  or  less,  along  the  river,  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  town,  taking  the  mouth  of  Rock  Creek  for  the 
center.  No  mortal  plow  could  run  a  claim  furrow  around 
such  a  romantic  tract,  so  Mr.  Mason  confined  his  plow- 
ing to  a  little  field  for  corn,  and  built  his  cabin  among 
the  trees  down  by  the  Greenfield  spring,  in  Fox,  and 
was  "right  glad"  to  sell  out  to  Fred.  Witherspoon, after 
a  few  months,  for  one  hundred  dollars,  in  "  truck." 


150  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Moses  Inscho  and  Henry  Winters  came  in  August, 
and  the  former  bought  Mulkey's  claim,  and  let  Winters 
have  it.  Mr.  Inscho  had  several  sons.  He  was  an  old 
man,  and  after  three  years'  residence  here  was  found  one 
day  by  the  Little  Rock  ford,  dead.  It  was  supposed 
that  he  laid  down  to  drink  and  was  taken  with  apoplexy. 

A  family  of  Clark  boys,  Josiah,  Joseph,  Merritt  and 
Porter,  settled  along  the  east  side  of  Little  Rock  timber. 
Their  father  did  not  come.  Jacob  Crandall,  Alonzo 
Tolman,  Amos  Tenney,  N.  I.  Robbins,  Benjamin  J. 
Beck  and  Sheldon  A.  Tomblin  were  also  settlers  of 
1835.  Mr.  Farley  opened  a  store  where  John  Gilman 
now  lives.  His  clerk,  William  L.  Church,  was  after- 
ward sheriff  of  Cook  county.  He  sold  to  Mr.  Penfield, 
who  kept  the  post  office.  Josiah  Lehman  opened  a  hotel 
on  the  same  place  about  1844. 

Among  the  settlers  in  the  town  of 

KENDALL 

were  John,  James  and  Robert  Evans,  from  Huron  county, 
Ohio.  John  came  first,  making  his  way  on  horseback 
and  alone.  He  bought  William  Paul's  claim,-  near  Pa- 
vilion, where  he  still  resides.  The  other  two  settled  at 
HoUenback's  Grove.  They  went  to  Missouri  in  1857, 
and  died  there.  Mr.  Paul  removed  to  Little  Rock. 
John  Evans'  log  house,  built  in  the  fall  of  1835,  yet 
stands,  and  is  used  as  a  storehouse.  Samuel  Inscho 
came  with  the  Evanses,  and  settled  on  the  east  side  of 
Long  Grove.  William  Campbell  settled  south  of  the 
Grove,  near  Mrs.  Needham's.  His  brother  John  came 
a  year  or  two  after. 


A    NEW    STORE.  151 

Franklin  Winchell,  of  Chatauqua  county,  New  York, 
opened  a  little  store  near  the  present  site  of  the  Pavilion 
school  house.  His  brother  Horace,  unmarried,  came 
with  him.  Herman  came  in  1836,  Darwin  in  1838,  and 
Gurden  and  George  W.  with  their  parents  in  1839. 
There  were  ten  children  in  the  family.  The  father, 
Rev.  Heman  Winchell,  Sr.,  was  a  Baptist  minister,  but 
did  not  preach  here.  He  died  near  Piano  in  1843. 
Franklin,  Horace  and  Darwin  went  to  California  during 
the  gold  fever.  George  W.  was  a  Newark  merchant  for 
twenty-five  years. 

Rulief  Duryea  and  James  S.  Cornell  had  been  in 
business  together  in  New  York,  and  came  to  Yorkville  as 
a  firm.  Mr.  Cornell  came  by  water  with  a  stock  of  dry 
goods,  and  Mr.  Duryea  and  family  came  overland.  On 
his  journey  he  bought  a  span  of  black  horses,  ''John 
and  Charley."  They  were  true  and  gentle,  and  would 
follow  wherever  there  was  a  track.  He  crossed  Fox 
river  at  the  Galena  ford,  near  Montgomery.  Arriving 
at  their  chosen  location,  they  purchased  of  Mr.  Bristol 
the  claim  on  which  Yorkville  stands,  and  adopted  the 
famous  cabin  on  the  court  house  hill  as  their  future  resi- 
dence. The  cabin  Avas  twelve  by  fourteen,  one  story, 
slab  floor,  puncheon  door  on  wooden  hinges,  rived 
shingles  "  staked  and  ridered  "  on,  logs  notched  together. 
Not  a  nail  in  all  the  building.  But  one  window,  of  four 
seven-by-nine  lights,  by  the  door,  and  the  room  was  so 
dark  that  when  pegs  were  put  in  the  upper  log  to  hang 
articles  on,  the  occupants  would  often  strike  their  heads 
against  them.  Those  wooden  pegs  were  Mrs.  Duryea's 
improvement.     Mr.  Bristol  had  got  along  without  them, 


152  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

but  she  mentally  resolved  that  she  would  not  live  in  a 
house  with  no  "  place  to  put  things,"  and  soon  succeeded 
in  having  the  matter  fixed  to  her  liking.  A  new  frame 
building  was  put  up  for  a  store,  and  the  business  of 
Yorkville  commenced.  The  partnership  continued  until 
1838,  after  which  it  was  continued  by  Mr.  Duryea  alone 
until  his  death  in  1846.  He  was  a  generous,  kind 
hearted  man,  and  still  remembered  with  gratitude  by 
manv  whom  he  befriended  in  their  need.  Mr.  Cornell 
married  Marion,  a  daughter  of  Titus  Howe,  and  made 
the  first  farm  on  the  Rob  Roy  prairie,  in  Bristol.  The 
frame  then  erected  still  forms  part  of  his  residence. 

During  the  summer,  John  L.  Clark  and  John  K. 
LeBarron,  after  a  horseback  tour  down  the  river,  bought 
out  the  renowned  Specie,  at  Specie  grove,  claim,  per- 
sonal property  and  all,  for  $2,000.  There  were  some 
fifteen  horses,  six  yoke  of  oxen,  and  fifty  hogs,  all  run- 
ning at  large  on  the  prairie.  He  said  to  Clark  and 
LeBarron  :  ''  This  is  your  boundary  through  the  grove, 
and  southward  you  will  always  be  open  to  the  Illinois 
river."  The  old  man's  "pasture,"  to  which  he  could 
so  calmly  give  a  verbal  warranty  deed,  was  eighteen 
miles  long,  and  now  supports  four  or  five  thousand  peo- 
ple.    About  the  same  time, 

D.  J.  TOWNSEND 

claimed  the  Cowdry  place,  near  Mr.  Morgan's,  and 
built  a  log  cabin  there,  but  Specie  outwitted  him  by 
staking  out  for  himself  nearly  all  the  claim,  leaving 
only  a  narrow  strip  where  the  cabin  stood.  Mr.  Towns- 
end  told  the  neighbors,  and  nine  of  them  turned  out 
and  hauled  all  of  Specie's  rails  and  logs  up  to  Towns- 


DEATH    OF    SPECIE.  153 

end's  cabin.  Kane  county  had  just  been  organized, 
including  the  eastern  towns  of  Kendall,  and  Specie 
brought  suit  in  that  county  against  the  nine  separately 
for  trespass.  Each  of  them  subpoened  the  others,  so 
that  each  had  nine  suits  on  hand.  But  the  trespass  was 
proven  on  Specie,  and  he  had  to  go  up  to  the  county 
seat  with  the  shot  bag  full  of  silver  paid  him  by  Clark 
and  Le  Barron,  and  settle  costs  to  the  amount  of  $400. 
Soon  after  he  went  down  on  the  Vermillion,  where  he 
died.  He  was  found  dead  in  his  cabin.  Thus  passed 
another  of  the  advance  guards  of  civilization.  He  was 
half  Indian  in  his  habits,  and  would  as  soon  eat  musk- 
rat  as  pig,  but  the  early  settlers  were  indebted  to  him 
for  many  acts  of  kindness,  which,  sometimes,  it  must 
be  confessed,  were  poorly  requited.  He  and  Stephen 
Sweet  parted  soon  after  the  Indian  war,  and  Sweet 
worked  around  Yorkville  for  a  time  and  then  removed 
to  McLean  county,  and  married. 


11 


CHAPTER  XXllI. 


TREATIES  AND  WOLF  HUNTS. 


|VER  the  river,  in  the  town  of  Bristol, 
were  Deacon  David  Johnson,  George 
Johnson,  Horatio  Johnson,  J.  W.  Gil- 
lam,  Truman  B.  Hathway,  Lyman 
Lane,  John  Burton,  Nathaniel  Burton, 
John  Pearson,  Galusha  Stebbins,  Wil- 
liam Curran,  John  Windett,  James  Teaby,  William  Bull 
and  Lyman  S.  Knox.  Nearly  all  are  dead.  Mr.  Knox 
still  lives  on  his  original  claim  at  Bristol  Station.  He 
was  from  Monroe  county,  New  York,  and  was  the  first 
actual  settler  on  Blackberry  creek.  Mr.  Dodge  was  a 
lawyer.  Mr.  Ball  built  a  mill  on  Big  Rock  creek,  one 
mile  south  of  Piano,  and  sold  it  two  years  afterwards  to 
John  Schneider,  the  Bristol  miller.  Rev.  Mr.  Eddy, 
a  local  preacher,  claimed  the  John  C.  Scofield  place. 
He  used  to  have  prayer  meetings  at  his  house.  Mr. 
Ross  claimed  the  Rickard  farm.  Mr.  Bailey  had  a 
shantv  on  the  nrairic   iust  over  the  line  in  Little  Rock. 


EARLY    SETTLERS    OF    OSWEfiO.  155 

Among  the  settlers  in 

OSWEGO, 

were  John  McCloud  and  Jonathan  Ricketson,  from  Liv- 
ingston county,  New  York.  The  following  year  Mr. 
Ricketson  moved  to  Plattville,  and  built  the  second 
house  in  that  burg.  It  stood  by  the  creek  at  the  west 
end  of  the  bridge,  and  is  now  owned  by  the  Wilkinson 
estate.  He  made  the  first  wagon  track  from  Fox  river 
to  Plattville.  Mr.  McCloud  also  removed  after  two 
years,  and  settled  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  Plattville. 
Rufus  Gray  came  from  Montgomery  county.  New  York, 
and  still  lives  on  his  farm  near  Montgomery,  above 
Oswego.  Daniel  S.  Gray  settled  in  Bristol.  Stephen 
English  was  from  New  York.  Also,  Truman  Hathway. 
William  A.  Randall  was  from  Pennsylvania,  and  walked 
all  the  way  to  Oswego.  In  Chicago  he  was  offered  a 
large  tract  of  the  marshy  prairie  in  exchange  for  his 
rifle,  but  refused.  The  rifle  he  could  use,  but  the  land 
appeared  absolutely  worthless,  except  as  a  haunt  for 
frogs  and  wild  ducks,  and  a  revealer  of  the  total  deprav- 
ity of  teamsters.  Mr.  Stebbins  and  family  came  at  the 
same  time.  A  son,  Glucins  Stebbins,  resides  on  Black- 
berry creek.  Mr.  Randall  worked  for  John  Pearce,  and 
the  following  spring  married  his  daughter,  Miss  Debo- 
rah, and  set  up  a  blacksmith  shop,  built  of  round  logs, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  He  made  axes,  hatchets, 
knives  and  steels,  for  both  whites  and  Indians ;  also, 
guns,  wagons,  plows  and  implements  of  all  kinds.  He 
died  at  Newark  in  1874. 

MAJOR   W.    N.    DAVIS 

was  from  New  York  City  ;  came  from  Detroit  to  Chicago 


156  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

in  a  carriage.  He  and  another  Davis  (no  relation), 
Isaac  Townsend,  Robert  Townsend,  afterward  a  rear 
admiral  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  and  a  French  half- 
breed  by  the  name  of  Leframbeaux,  came  out  to  locate 
their  claims.  The  Frenchman  and  two  brothers — 
Francis,  Joseph  and  Claude  were  their  names — lived  in 
a  little  grove  on  the  site  of  Bridgeport,  by  the  South 
Branch.  The  place  was  then  called  "  Hardscrabble." 
Major  Davis  and  Tow^nsend  located  a  large  tract  of  land, 
including  the  Mohahwa  reservation  in  Oswego  and  the 
Weskesha  reservation  in  Na  au-say.  These  they  bought 
of  the  Indian  proprietors,  receiving  deeds  signed  by 
them  and  by  the  Indian  agent.  Such  deeds  are  a  curi- 
osity. There  is  one  on  exhibition  in  Independence  Hall, 
Philadelphia,  given  by  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations  to 
some  traders  in  indemnity  for  goods  stolen.  The  chiefs 
signed,  by  each  making  on  the  appointed  place  on  the 
deed,  the  symbol  of  his  tribe.  The  chief  of  the  Mo- 
hawks made  a  rude  representation  of  a  steel,  such  as  was 
used  for  striking  flints.  The  chief  of  the  Oneidas  made 
a  stone ;  the  Tuscaroras,  a  cross  ;  the  Onondagas,  a 
mountain,  a  round  mark  much  like  the  Oneida's  stone  ; 
the  Cayugas,  a  pipe  ;  the  chief  of  the  Senecas  made 
what  he  said  was  a  high  hill,  a  mark  like  a  bell-glass, 
ten  times  as  large  as  the  Onondaga's  mountain,  and  with 
a  rude  atteiupt  at  ornament  or  shading,  iifter  each 
mark  was  put  a  seal  of  red  wax  and  the  explanation  in 
writing.  The  signatures  of  several  w^itnesses  completed 
the  instrument.  The  trail  from  Detroit  to  Canada  passed 
by  the  reservations  bought  by  Davis  and  Townsend,  and 
was  traveled  a  hundred  years  before  by  the  western  tribes 


OSWEGO    LAID    OUT.  157 

going  to  Maiden,  Canada,  to  receive  British  pensions. 
Major  Davis  built  his  house  on  the  divide  or  water-shed, 
which  running  parallel  with  Fox  river  enters  the  county 
at  the  north-eastern  corner  and  leaves  it  at  the  south- 
western corner,  below  Holderman's  Grove.  From  the 
back  stoop  of  the  house  one  may  look  over  a  territory  of 
forty  miles  in  diameter,  from  Lemont  around  to  Sand- 
wich and  Paw  Paw  Grove.  Mr.  Townsend  settled  in 
Na-au-say.  His  brother,  Claudius  Townsend,  settled 
across  the  river  from  Oswego.  Mr.  Arnold  settled  in 
Oswego,  and  he  and  L.  B.  Judson  laid  out  the  village, 
calling  it 

HUDSON, 

a  name  by  which  it  was  known  for  several  years.  Mr. 
Arnold  opened  the  first  store  in  the  place  the  same  sea- 
son. It  stood  on  the  present  site  of  Levi  Hall's  drug 
store.  Rev.  Wilder  B.  Mack,  a  Methodist  traveling 
preacher,  held  occasional  services  at  Daniel  Pearce's, 
and  a  class  was  organized  there  by  Rev.  William  Royal. 
Stephen  Ashley  and  Mr.  Moss,  a  bachelor,  were  other 
settlers.  John  W.  Chapman  came  in  and  stayed  a  few 
months,  and  then  passed  on  to  Dixon,  where  he  remained 
seven  years,  returning  in  1842.     In 

NA-AU-SAY, 

John  Hough  and  his  brothers,  Berridge  and  Jerry,  each 
made  claims  by  the  Grove.  Isaac  Townsend  bought  out 
Selvey,  and  continued  to  add  other  claims  from  time  to 
time.  His  family  did  not  come  until  afterwards.  He 
had  three  sons,  Daniel  J.,  Isaac  and  William  D.  When 
his  family  came  he  built  a  gravel  house — a  pretentious 
one  for  those  days.  Alexander  Reed  came  here  with 
him. 


158  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY. 

January  1st,  1835,  a  Land  Office  was  opened  at  Chi- 
cas:o  for  what  was  known  as  the  Northeast  Land  Dis- 
trict.  In  each  office  there  were  two  officers,  a  Register 
and  Receiver,  with  salaries  of  $500  each.  Col.  E.  D. 
Taylor  and  James  Whitlock  were  the  officers  appointed 
at  Chicago,  and  in  six  months  took  in  half  a  million  dol- 
lars. Only  a  small  part  of  this  county  came  into  mar- 
ket at  that  time — the  part  south  of  the  Indian  boundary 
line,  embracing  half  of  the  towns  of  Big  Grove  and  Lis- 
bon, three-quarters  of  Seward,  and  two  sections  in  Na-au- 
say.  All  lands  purchased  were  exempt  from  taxation 
five  years  after  purchase. 

In  August  the  last  grand  Pottawatomie 

WAR    DANCE 

held  in  this  section  was  celebrated  at  Chicago.  Five 
thousand  braves,  painted  and  armed  with  tomahawks  and 
clubs,  assembled  on  the  North  side,  having  paraded  the 
village  street  for  an  hour,  to  the  great  alarm  of  women 
and  children,  and  not  a  few  men. 

Next  to  the  Indians,  the  settlers'  most  inveterate  ene- 
mies were 

WOLVES. 

They  existed  in  great  numbers,  and  would  often  kill  hogs 
that  were  fattening  in  the  woods.  Chester  Smith,  of  Plain- 
field,  had  a  drove  of  hogs  in  the  Aux  Sable  timber,  and  com- 
ing after  them  in  the  fall,  he  caught  them,  tied  their  feet 
and  let  them  lie  in  the  grove  till  morning.  It  was  a 
cruel  act,  and  in  the  morning  some  of  the  hogs  were 
missing, — all  but  their  bones.  The  wolves  had  eaten 
them  alive.  Others  were  killed  and  not  eaten.  A  light 
snow  fell   in   the  night,  and  it  was  trampled  and  dyed 


WOLF   AND    DEER   HUNTS.  159 

with  blood  like  a  battle-field.  Wolf  hunts  were  common. 
A  stake  would  be  set  up,  say,  on  the  prairie  beyond  Lis- 
bon. The  settlers  would  be  engaged,  and  would  come 
in  a  narrowing  circle  from  miles  in  every  direction,  driv- 
ing every  thing  before  them.  As  they  neared  the  central 
point  and  the  enclosed  game  came  in  view,  the  excite- 
ment became  intense.  The  wolves  and  deer  tried  to  run 
the  blockade,  but  were  beaten  back  from  every  point,  until 
they  were  nearly  crazy  with  fright.  Then  the  slaugh- 
ter commenced,  and  it  was  rarely  that  one  escaped.  Af- 
ter all  was  over  an  equitable  distribution  was  made.  In 
the  hunt  of  1835,  eighteen  wolves  and  twenty-four  deer 
were  killed.  Two  years  before,  in  a  Chicago  hunt,  forty 
wolves  were  killed.  These  hunts,  however,  like  every 
other  amusement,  soon  degenerated.  The  settlers  in 
some  localities  would  privately  agree  to  shoot  their  game 
on  the  way,  and  afterward  come  in  for  a  share  in  the 
common  stock,  thus  defrauding  their  neighbors  from 
other  places.  This  cheating  brought  the  hunts  into  dis- 
repute. That  year  a  bear  was  killed  in  a  lumber  yard  on 
the  South  Branch,  Chicago,  though  such  game  was  scarce. 
He  was  probably  driven  out  of  his  forest  home  by  hun- 
ger. The  preceding  winter  was  severe.  February  8th, 
1835,  the  thermometer  stood  at  thirty-five  degrees  below 
zero — the  coldest  day  known  for  years. 

One  night  in  October  occurred  a  grand  auroral  dis- 
play, paling  the  moonlight.  1835  was,  on  the  whole,  a 
year  of  prosperity  with  those  who  had  anything  to  sell, 
but,  unfortunately,  the  new  settlers  had  to  buy. 

THE  FOLLOWING  STORY 

is  told  of  Elder  Tolman  :   His  larder  running  short,  he 


160  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

went  with  an  ox  team  to  Chicago  for  provisions,  and, 
with  the  rest,  brought  home  a  barrel  of  salt  pork.  Squire 
Ives  and  another  neighbor  took  half  of  it,  and  then  the 
question  arose  where  to  dispose  of  the  rest.  It  could 
not  be  put  down  cellar,  for  there  was  none.  Nor  up 
stairs,  for  the  same  reason.  Nor  was  there  a  square 
foot  to  be  spared  in  the  living  room.  So  it  was  put  out- 
side the  cabin  door.  But  in  the  morning  it  was  gone, 
and  after  a  diligent  search  was  given  over  as  lost.  No, 
not  lost,  for  towards  evening  a  traveler  reported  having 
seen  a  terrible  sight  on  the  prairie ;  it  was  something 
half  bovine,  half  monster.  Mr.  Tolman  rallied  his  forces 
and  reconnoitred  the  field,  and  lo  !  it  was  an  ox  with  the 
missing  pork  barrel  on  his  head,  and  the  pork  was  still 
in  it !  The  animal  had  put  in  nose  and  horns  after  salt, 
and  unable  to  extricate  itself,  had  gone  away.  Samson- 
like, with  the  barrel  and  all. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


THE  YEAR  OF  CORNER  LOTS. 


IGHTEEN  HUNDRED  AND  THIR- 

ty-six  was  the  year  of  inflation  and 
emigration,  when  the  strong  arm  of  the 
State,  projected  railroads  and  dug  chan- 
nels of  rivers,  to  encourage  emigration, 
which  came  West  in  a  steady  and 
enthusiastic  stream.  Every  man's  farm 
was  a  possible  site  for  a  town,  and  corner  lots  were 
as  plenty  as  paper  dollars.  The  hectic  flush  of  a 
commercial  fever  overspread  the  face  of  the  entire 
State  of  Illinois.  The  dazzling  example  of  Chi- 
cago had  much  to  do  with  this,  for  they  had  in  two  years 
converted  a  miserable  village  into  a  city  of  several  thous- 
and inhabitants — and  it  could  be  done  everywhere. 
Speculators  bought  up  all  the  land  they  could  find, 
expecting  to  lay  out  town  sites  on  their  purchases,  and 
public  meetings  were  held  and  speeches  made  in  favor 
of  a  system  of  internal  improvements,  which  were 
soon  adopted  and  begun.  At  Peru,  on  the  Illinois  river, 
a  village  of  but  one  shanty,  lots  were  held  at  $2,000 
each.     Four  miles  below  Ottawa,  on  the  river,  is  a  long 


162  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

mass  of  limestone,  called  Buffalo  Rock,  because  it  is  said 
the  Indians  used  to  kill  buffaloes  by  driving  them  over 
the  edge.  It  is  inaccessible  from  the  surrounding  plain 
except  at  one  end.  On  this  rock  a  town  plat  was  laid 
out  by  Benjamin  Thurston,  and  recorded  April  14th, 
1836.  It  was  called  Gibraltar.  And  to  crown  the  cli- 
max, four  lots  were  actually  sold,  realizing  $50.75.     At 

NEWARK, 

Nelson  Messenger,  from  Ohio,  built  the  shop  which 
still  stands  on  the  corner  north  of  Coy's  store.  His 
boards  were  sawed  at  Schneider's,  and  the  poles  for 
rafters  he  obtained  of  Geo.  Hollenback.  It  still  stands, 
a  deserted  relic  of  days  long  passed.  Mr.  Messenger 
used  to  furnish  the  government  surveyors  with  charcoal 
to  fill  the  mounds  at  section  corners.  At  the  same 
time,  Walter  Stowell  put  up  a  tavern  where  the  hotel 
stable  now  stands.  Heman  Dodge  occupied  a  house  on 
Coy's  corner,  now   used   by  Mr.  Coy  as  a  store  house. 

March  4th,  on  the  Gridley  place,  Benj.  F.  Hollenback 
was  born,  now  of  Kansas. 

During  the  summer,  a  lot  of  Indians  encamped  on  the 
edge  of  the  village,  on  the  flat  below  the  Institute,  and 
remained  several  weeks.  They  had  just  received  their 
annuity,  and  were  fast  livers  while  it  lasted.  They 
paid  for  all  their  purchases  in  silver  franc  pieces,  and 
when  they  were  exhausted,  traded  a  pony  at  the  store 
for  a  barrel  of  whiskey.  When  that  was  used  up,  and 
their  medicine  man  and  his  helpers  had  dug  all  the  roots 
and  gathered  all  the  herbs  they  wanted  in  Big  grove, 
they  stole  the  pony  and  departed. 


AVOIDING   CORDUROY    ROADS.  163 

Mr.  Booth  sold  to  John  Litsey,  just  then  from  Ken- 
tucky, and  now  the  President  of  our  Old  Settlers'  Soci- 
ety. The  two  families  lived  in  the  same  cabin  during 
the  winter.  Mr.  Litsey  moved  on  his  present  farm  in 
1846,  and  in  1850  was  able  to  enter  eighty  acres  adjoin- 
ing, at  government  price.  John  Worsley,  from  Massa- 
chusetts, took  up  the  present  Worsley  farm,  east  of  Big 
grove.  His  son,  Geo.  H.  Worsley,  worked  for  several 
years  for  Mr.  Prickett  and  others  south  of  the  grove, 
and  died  two  years  ago. 

PETER  NEWTON,  WILLIAM  SMITH  AND  JAMES  ROOD 

came  together  from  Broome  county.  New  York.  People 
along  the  road  as  they  came  would  call  out,  "  Michigan  ?" 
"Illinois,"  was  the  reply.  Mr.  Smith  was  originally 
from  Massachusetts.  He  bought  his  claim  and  a  poor 
log  house  of  a  Frenchman,  and  resided  on  the  same 
place  forty  years.  Mr.  Newton  settled  in  the  timber 
near  Sheridan.  His  son,  A.  D.  Newton,  our  present 
sheriff,  moved  to  Newark  in  1847,  and  kept  tavern  on 
George  B.  Hollenback's  old  site.  This  party  came  by 
boat  from  Huron,  Ohio,  to  Toledo,  to  escape  a  notorious 
stretch  of  corduroy  road  over  what  was  known  to  emi- 
grants as  the  Black  Swamp,  in  Michigan.  The  rest  of 
the  way  was  overland,  to  Piatt's,  Holderman's  and  Mis- 
sion Point,  to  Rood's. 

Other  settlers  in  Big  Grove  were  Mr.  Bradfield,  Mr. 
Hampton,  Daniel  Neff,  Elijali  Barrows,  Mr.  Collins, 
Jared  Bartam  and  John  E.  Waterman.  Mr.  Collins 
changed  the  name  of  Duck  Grove  to  Collins'  Grove. 
Mr.  Bartam,  of  Onondaga  county.  New  York,  kept  the 
tavern  at  Holderman's.     His  widow,  married  again,  lives 


164  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

at  Lockport.  Her  daughter  is  Mrs.  Henry  Cody,  of 
Lisbon.  Mr.  Waterman  first  settled  on  the  Martin 
place  near  Lisbon,  and  afterward  went  to  Holderman's. 
In  November,  John  C.  Phillips'  dwelling  house  on  the 
Southwick  place,  and  Clark  Hollenback's  new  barn  on 
the  Abbot  place  were 

BURNED   TO   THE    GROUND 

the  same  day.  The  men  and  most  of  the  neighbors 
were  attending  a  lawsuit  at  Ottawa  at  the  time.  Mr. 
Phillips  was  deputy  sheriff.  His  stock  of  provisions 
and  all  his  furniture  were  burned.  His  wife,  who  was 
washing  clothes  at  the  brook  at  the  time,  being  shut  out 
of  the  house,  took  cold,  and  after  lingering  two  years, 
died.  It  was  currently  believed  at  the  time  that  there 
was  foul  play  at  the  bottom  of  it,  in  connection  with  the 
lawsuit. 

George  Duckworth  and  family  settled  at  Big  Grove, 
where  they  remained  two  years,  and  then  moved  to  Lis- 
bon, where  they  now  reside.  Rensselear  Carpenter  came 
at  the  same  time.  He  is  now  living  near  Chatsworth, 
Illinois.  Also  a  French  family,  named  Devereaux.  He 
was  a  silversmith,  and  afterwards  removed  to  Joliet, 
where  he  died,  and  the  family  went  to  Racine.  Also 
Daniel  Dwyer. 

LEWIS    AND    ALLEN    SHERRILL, 

Oneida  county.  New  York,  came  that  year.  Allen  re- 
turned soon  after  ;  Lewis  remained,  and  is  to-day  one  of 
the  first  farmers  in  Kendall  county.  There  are  a  few 
larger  land  holders,  but  he  is  the  only  man  in  the  county 
who  owns  and  farms  an  exactly   square  section   of  land. 


JESSE    JACKSON    ARRIVES.  165 

At  Plattville,  a  son  was  born  to  Mr.  McCloud,  and  Mr. 
Piatt  being  privileged  with  the  naming  of  it,  called  it 
after  himself,  Piatt  McCloud,  and  gave  the  little  fellow  a 
cow  as  dowry.  A  school  was  started  in  Mr.  Piatt's  cabin 
that  year.  It  was  taught  first  by  Phoebe  Ferris,  and  the 
following  year  by  Thomas  Cotton.  Benjamin  Ricket- 
son  arrived  from  New  York  ;  was  elected  County  Judge 
in  1853.  Levi  Hill's  log  tavern  moved  out  from  Holder- 
man's,  was  the  first  house  in  Lisbon.  Rev.  Calvin  Bush- 
nell  missed  the  honor  by  only  a  mile,  as  he  put  up  a  frame 
a  mile  south  of  Lisbon  in  the  fall  of  1835. 

JESSE    JACKSON 

and  family  arrived  at  Ottawa,  having  come  all  the  way 
by  boat  from  Brownville,  Pa.,  in  twelve  days.  His  family 
consisted  of  Elmas,  afterward  Mrs.  Groves,  now  dead; 
Samuel  and  Jonathan,  both  dead ;  Mary,  now  Mrs.  Fletcher 
Misner,  of  Millington  ;  Joseph,  now  in  Millington;  Wil- 
liam, in  Minnesota  ;  Rebecca,  now  Mrs.  Holston,  and  Eliz- 
abeth, now  Mrs.  Hanna,  both  of  Indiana.  Eight  children 
in  all.  He  was  met  at  Ottawa  by  Samuel  Jackson  and  Mr. 
Markley  with  a  horse  team  and  three  ox  teams,  and  the 
family  and  goods  escorted  to  the  double-  log  cabin  at  Mil- 
ford.  The  distance  is  twenty  miles  and  they  passed  but  four 
cabins  on  the  way.  Jesse  Jackson  bought  out  Mr. 
Markley,  and  that  fall  the  saw  mill  was  started.  It  met 
a  great  want,  and  for  ten  years  it  ran  night  and  day, 
and  sometimes,  by  necessity,  on  Sunday.  There  were 
at  times  two  thousand  logs  on  the  ground,  and  the  mill 
would  be  six  months  behind  on  orders.  But  the  gang 
saws  of  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  at  last  outstripped  it, 
and  left  the  aged  frame  to  bleach  in  the  sun  until  a  year 


166  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

ago,  when  the  spring  freshet  bore  it  away  on  its  bosom 
to  rest  in  a  watery  grave.  Soon  after  Mr.  Jackson 
arrived  an  attempt  was  made  to  establish  a  post-office 
there,  but  it  was  placed  at  Holderman's  instead. 

Henry  Elderding  the  same  season  built  a  corn  cracker 
at  Millbrook,  Dr.  Gantz,  a  botanical  physician,  from  Vir- 
ginia, built  a  house  on  the  corner  of  the  Millbrook  and 
Millington  roads,  below  Mr.  Paddock's.  Adjoining  him, 
on  S.  McMath's  place,  was  John  Green,  father  of  Lem- 
uel Green :  and  on  the  Russel  place  was  Rev.  William 
Royal.  Going  east  on  the  same  road  were  E.  W.  Wil- 
lard,  now  of  Chicago,  Wm.  W.  Pickering,  now  of  Bos- 
ton, and  Stephen  and  James  H.  Bates,  now  of  Iowa. 

Willard  sold  to  John  Cooper,  and  Pickering  to  John 
Sherman.  Heman  Winchell,  Jr.,  settled  on  the  farm 
near  Fox  Station,  on  which  he  lived  nearly  forty  years. 
He  died  at  Bristol,  1866. 

Stephen  and  James  Harvey  Bates  lived  on  the  river 
below  Mr.  Grover's.  Smith  and  Tuttle  first  took  up  the 
claim  and  sold  it  in  Chicago  to  John  Bates,  who  came 
west  about  1833.  Stephen  Bates  was  a  bachelor.  Abram 
Brown,  of  Big  Grove,  then  a  boy,  was  their  nephew  and 
lived  with  them.  He  came  in  the  fall  of  1834  and  stayed 
with  Lemuel  Brown  in  his  Oswego  cabin  during  the  win- 
ter of  1835.  It  was  hard  times,  and  the  boys  often  went 
barefoot  daytimes  and  at  night  slept  under  the  snow 
that  sifted  through  the  oak  shingles  of  the  cabin  roof. 

In  June  1835  a  camp  meeting  was  held  in  the  grove 
below  Mr.  Crimmin's,  and  attracted  numbers  of  people, 
many  of  them  from  long  distances. 


MAIL    TWICE    A    WEEK.  167 

IN    LITTLE    ROCK 

Luke  Wheelock  opened  a  blacksmith  shop  on  the  site  of 
Little  Rock  village,  on  the  creek  by  the  cheese  factory. 
He  came  out,  like  many  others,  without  his  family,  and 
soon  after  returned  for  them.  At  the  same  time  Philan- 
der and  George  Peck  opened  a  store  near  where  Dr.  Bra- 
dy's barn  now  stands.  Afterward  Geo.  Peck  with  E.  R.  Al- 
len opened  business  in  Aurora  and  died  there.  Philan- 
der Peck  removed  to  Whitewater,  Wisconsin,  and  thence 
to  Chicago,  where  he  opened  a  dry  goods  jobbing  house 
with  Albert  and  Henry  Keep,  the  well  known  railroad 
magnates.  The  house  was  finally  known  as  Harmon, 
Aiken  &  Gale.  The  Little  Rock  postoffice  was  kept  at 
Peck's  store,  and  twice  a  week  the  tin  horn  of  the  Frink 
&  Walker  stage,  running  between  Chicago  and  Dixon, 
woke  the  echoes  of  the  grove,  and  scattered  settlers  after 
their  weekly  paper,  or  the  precious  and  coveted  letters 
from  their  far  away  eastern  homes. 

CORNELIUS    HENNING 

was  from  Rensselaer  county,  New  York,  and  arrived 
here  July,  1836.  The  family  are  large  land  owners, — 
owning  some  two  thousand  acres  of  land  around  Piano 
alone.  Hugh  B.  Henning  is  dead ;  Jones,  Denslow, 
and  C.  J.  are  still  living,  near  Piano  :  also  a  daughter, 
Mrs.  Otis  Latham.  Two  other  daughters  are,  Mrs.  John 
Eldredge,  in  Nebraska,  and  Mrs.  Charles  El  dredge,  in 
Kansas. 

WILLIAM    HIDDLESON 

was  from  Ohio.  He  came  by  river  to  Peoria,  where  lie 
met  John  Haymond,  who  offered  to  ^lot  him  up  and  sell 


168  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

him  as  good  a  claim  as  there  was  in  the  west.  He  came, 
saw  it  and  bought  it.  and  lives  on  it  still. _^  It  was  the 
old  Cox  claim,  and  part  of  the  house  built  by  Cox  in 
1833  is  in  use  still.  The  fire-place  was  ten  feet  wide, 
and  logs  were  hauled  into  it  by  horses,  in  at  one  door 
and  out  at  the  one  opposite.  George  H.  Rogers  and 
William  Noble  came  with  Hiddleson. 

Archibald  Owen  settled  first  on  Big  Rock,  and  in  1838 
bought  a  claim  of  William  Rogers  on  Little  Rock. 

EBER    M.  SHONTS 

and  Thomas  Welch  landed  at  Yandalia  in  1835,  and 
wandered  up  here  and  claimed  a  strip  nearly  a  mile  long, 
below  Mr.  Mulkey's,  on  the  east  side  of  Little  Rock 
timber.  They  went  back,  and  returning  again  the  fol- 
lowing season,  found  the  claim  occupied  by  Franklin  and 
Oliver  Culver,  who  vielded  to  the  orioinal  claimants. 
In  1837  Mr.  Shonts  sold  to  Elijah  Pearce,  and  removed 
to  the  present  homestead  on  Big  Rock.  George  W. 
Rowley,  John  W.  Gallup,  William  Ryan  and  James 
Scott  were  other  settlers.  Also  Ashley  and  King,  claim 
sellers.  Mr.  Scott  went  to  Wisconsin,  from  whence  he 
went  to  Scotland  and  came  out  with  a  Scotch  colony. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


CROWDING    INTO    THE    WILDERNESS. 


N  1836,  the  village  of  Yorkville  was  laid 
out  bv  Rulief  Durvea.  Only  his  cabin,  in 
which  he  kept  store,  stood  there  at  the 
time,  but  soon  after  Mr.  Howe  and  Mr. 
Hav,  a  tailor,  now  living  in  Sandwich, 
built  homes.  Palmer  Sherman  and  George 
Evans,  father  of  John  Evans,  settled  on 
the  south  side  of  Long  Grove.     As  yet  no 

one  had  the  temerity  to  go  further  south  on  the  prairie, 

but  the  lead  was  taken  this  year  by 

JEREMIAH  SHEPHERD, 

from  Massachusetts.  He  found  the  groves  pretty  well 
circled,  and  determined  to  pitch  his  camp  far  out  where 
the  prairie  flowers  invitingly  bloomed,  and  make  a  grove 
unto  himself.  It  was  a  long  time,  however,  before  he 
secured  neighbors,  as  there  were  no  stage  roads  through 
that  prairie  to  attract  them.  Mr.  Shepherd's  daughter, 
Cecelia,  now  Mrs.  E.  S.  Satterly,  was  the  first  child 
born  on  the  prairie  south  of  AuxSable  Grove. 

12 


170  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

The  settlers  in 

BRISTOL 

were  Dea.  James  McClellan,  Dea.  S.  S.  Lathrop,  B.  F. 
Alden,  Rev.  H.  S.  Colton,  Dr.  Calvin  Wheeler,  John 
Eglington,  Mr.  Grimwood,  John  and  Nathaniel  Burton, 
and  many  others,  who  stayed  but  a  short  time.  Dea. 
McClellan  was  from  Chatauqua  county,  New  York.  He 
built  the  first  frame  house  in  Bristol,  and  having  capi- 
tal, was  a  leader  in  every  worthy  enterprise  until  his 
death,  July  11,  1867.  Deacon  Lathrop  came  to  Chi- 
cago in  1834,  and  was  a  member  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  there  when  I.  T.  Hinton  was  pastor,  and  there 
were  but  twelve  members.  He  was  with  that  veteran 
missionary,  Rev.  A.  B.  Freeman,  at  his  death.  Mr. 
Lathrop  still  lives  in  Bristol  ;  so  does  Mr.  Alden.  The 
latter  came  around  the  lakes  with  Rev.  J.  F.  Tolman, 
who  had  been  east  for  his  health,  and  returned  in  1836. 
Mr.  Alden  has  dug  over  one  hundred  wells  in  Kendall 
county,  and  in  the  winter  of  1837  split  for  Lyman  Bris- 
tol and  James  Gilliam,  fifteen  thousand  oak  and  black 
walnut  rails.  He  has  worked  as  hard,  too,  on  the  under- 
ground railway,  and  still  carries  a  deep  scar  as  a  memo- 
rial of  a  conflict  with  slave  catchers. 

Mr.  Colton  also  still  survives.  He  settled  at  Prince- 
ton in  1835,  and  the  following  fall  came  to  Bristol.  He 
organized  the  Congregational  churches  at  Bristol,  Oswe- 
go and  Aurora.  When  he  went  from  Chicago  to  Prince- 
ton, there  was  but  one  bridge  on  the  road — that  at 
Plainfield.    It  was  made  of  poles  laid  across  on  stringers. 

Dr.  Wheeler  was  from  Hollis,  New  Hampshire,  and 
practiced  in  Bristol  forty  years.       He  boarded  at  first 


DEATH    OF    DR.    WHEELER.  171 

with  Abijah  Haymond,  at  Long  Grove.  He  was  a  man 
of  extraordinary  benevolence,  giving  medicines  free  and 
keeping  open  doors  to  all  the  poor.  He  and  Dr.  Ken- 
dall were  for  some  time  the  only  physicians  within  many 
miles.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
a  temperance  man,  an  active  abolitionist,  and  a  great 
Bible  reader.  He  died  in  May,  1876.  The  first  Sunday 
School  in  Bristol  was  held  in  1836,  in  Deacon  John- 
son's house;  Mrs.  H.  S.  Colton,  Superintendent;  and 
she  is  Superintendent  to-day  of  the  Congregational 
Sunday  School  of  Bristol.     At 

OSWEGO 
we  find  Samuel  Thomas  and  Henry  Hopkins.     Samuel 
bought  out  William  Wilson,  where  Mr.  Loucks  lives,  and 
was  Justice  of  the  Peace   for  years.     He  now  lives   at 
Chebanse.     Henry  lives  in  Aurora. 

James  Greenacre  and  Mr.  Ross  settled  over  the  river. 
Mr.  Hubbard  kept  the  first  store.  Stephen  B.  Craw, 
Bainbridge  Smith,  and  Maurice  and  Rufus  Gray  were 
prominent  settlers.  Joel  Warner  settled  one  mile  east 
of  Oswego,  and  afterward  removed  to  Newark.  Calvin 
B.  Chapin,  of  New  York,  built  the  first  blacksmith  shop 
in  Oswego.  He  came  to  Downer's  Grove  with  old  Mr. 
Downer  in  1832. 

Merrit  Clark  built  a  corn  mill  on  the  present  site  of 
Parker's  mill.  Levi  Gorton  and  William  Wormley 
helped  put  the  first  stick  in  the  dam. 

Merrit  Clark  had  a  chair  factory  at  his  mill,  and  made 
wooden  chairs  in  1836,  some  of  which  are  in  existence 
yet,  and  valued  at  more  than  when  they  were  new.  A 
grist  mill  was  begun  by  Levi  and  Darwin   Gorton   and 


172  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

finished  the  following  season.  They  subsequently  sold 
to  N.  A.  Rising,  who  opened  a  store  in  connection  with 
the  mill.  D.  C.  Cleveland,  now  of  Newark,  came  that 
year,  and  lived  two  years  in  Oswego.  Harrison  Albee, 
of  Clinton  county.  New  York,  still  lives  on  his  farm  east 
of  Oswego.  Deacon  Cyrus  Ashley,  of  Plainfield,  came 
out  from  Martinsburg,  New  York,  with  a  consignment 
of  wagons,  and  was  only  prevented  from  settling  at 
"  Hudson  "  by  the  solicitations  of  some  of  the  "Walk- 
er's Grove"  people. 

Mr.  Sargent  lived  where  John  Seeley  does  now. 
Clark  W.  Wormley  bought  his  present  place  of  Wendell 
King,  of  Aurora.  George  W.  Kellogg  passed  through 
our  county  on  his  way  to  Peoria,  from  Rutland,  Ver- 
mont, in  the  fall  of  1835.  Stopped  over  night  at  Platt- 
ville,  where  was  only  a  log  house  and  a  few  acres  of  sod 
corn.  In  the  spring  of  1836  he  returned  and  settled  on 
George  Parker's  place,  opposite  Oswego.  Went  to  Na- 
au-say  in  1846. 

MRS.    MARY   YOUNG, 

still  living  in  Na-au-say,  says:  "My  husband,  William 
Young,  and  myself  came  to  Chicago  in  the  fall  of  1835. 
We  were  from  England.  He  found  work  in  a  wagon 
shop  during  the  winter,  and  there  Isaac  Townsend, 
being  in  Chicago,  happened  to  meet  him,  and  asked  him 
if  he  would  like  to  go  out  into  the  country.  Mr.  Young 
said  yes,  for  he  had  the  ague  very  hard  in  Chicago.  So 
we  came  out  here  in  February,  1836.  Mr.  Townsend 
lived  with  Major  Davis,  and  when  we  arrived,  the  wife 
of  an  Irishman  who  was  keeping  house  for  them  said  to 
me,  '  0,  I  am  glad  to  see  a  woman,  for  I  have  not  seen 
one  for  three  months.'     Well,  thinks  I,  we  have  got  into 


NEW    COUNTY    IN    RHYME.  173 

a  wilderness  now,  sure  enough.  However,  we  stood  it 
better  than  I  had  feared,  though  we  did  have  some  times 
that  were  pretty  hard.  We  moved  into  a  large  log 
house,  twenty-by-thirty,  built  by  John  Hough,  and 
there,  February  20th,  1837,  my  son,  Richard  Young, 
was  born,  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  town  of  Na- 
au-say."     In 

SEWARD 

John  Davis  settled  on  the  lower  Aux  Sable,  on  the  Hen- 
derson place,  and  Mr.  Sidebotham  settled  a  mile  above 
him,  on  the  Thomas  Fielding  place.  Mr.  Sidebotham 
took  up  a  large  tract  of  land,  but  died  the  following 
year.  He  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Alanson  Milks,  who 
had  just  bought  out  Mr.  Davis,  and  opened  a  tavern, 
w^ell  known  afterwards  as  the  Patrick  stand,  and  there 
Mr.  Sidebotham  was  buried. 

The  first  school  was  begun  in  Aurora  that  season, 
1836,  in  a  log  school  house  covered  with  bark.  Mrs. 
Spaulding  was  the  first  teacher. 

KANE    COUNTY 

was  organized  out  of  LaSalle,  the  line  running  through 
Kendall  and  cutting  ofi"  our  eastern  townships,  making 
Oswego,  Bristol  and  Little  Rock  to  be  in  Kane  county. 
Following  is  an  extract  from  an  eflfort  of  a  local  poet 
enshrining  the  advantages  of  the  new  county  in  rhyme  : 

"  The  timber  here  is  very  good. 
The  forest  dense  of  sturdy  wood, 
The  maple  tree  its  sweets  affords, 
And  walnut  it  is  sawn  to  boards, 
The  giant  oak  the  axman  hails, 
Its  massive  trunk  is  torn  to  rails  ; 
And  game  is  plenty  in  the  State, 
Which  makes  the  hunters'  chances  great  ; 
The  prairie  wolf  infests  the  land. 
And  the  wild-cats  all  bristling  stand." 


174  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

There  is  nothing  said  about  town  sites,  corner  lots, 
unlimited  water  privileges  and  prospective  railroads, 
which  made  up  a  large  share  of  the  hopes  of  1836.  In 
the  State  of  Illinois  one  thousand  miles  of  railroad  had 
been  projected  by  the  State  Committees  on  Internal  Im- 
provements, besides  extensive  improvements  in  navigable 
rivers.  Several  of  the  roads  had  to  pass  over  govern- 
ment lands  where  there  were  scarce  settlers'  cabins 
enough  to  mark  the  stations.  In  the  entire  county  of 
LaSalle  the  land  tax  for  1835  was  but  $76.29 — less  than 
hundreds  of  single  farms  now  pay.  The  railroads,  how- 
ever, came  to  nothing,  though  the  river  improvements 
were  many  of  them  made.  There  is  one  subject,  how- 
ever, which  our  fathers  must  be  praised  for,  viz  :  their 
enterprise  and  forethought  on  the  subject  of 

EDUCATION. 

They  felt  the  necessity  of  some  system  of  public  schools, 
and  this  more  largely  after  an  influx  of  eastern  emigra- 
tion. The  want  of  teachers  was  deeply  felt,  and  the  fol- 
lowing extracts  are  from  the  Senate  report  of  1836, 
proposing  to  establish  county  seminaries  for  teachers. 
Read  and  remember  them  and  be  thankful  for  our  school 
houses  : 

Mr.  Gatewood  said  : 

"  Ours  is  a  government  of  laws  and  rights  which,  to 
to  be  appreciated,  must  be  understood.  The  distinctions 
in  society  so  much  and  so  often  complained  of  are  to  be 
attributed  more  to  the  different  degrees  of  intelligence 
among  men,  than  to  wealth,  or  rank,  or  any  other  cause. 
If  in  our  own  community  a  certain  portion  of  the  people 
be  permitted  to  remain  in  ignorance,  that  portion  will  be 
better  fitted  for  the  use  of  the  other  than  thev  will  be  to 


MR.    GATEWOOD    ON    EDUCATION.  175 

discharge  the  duties  imposed  upon  them  by  their  coun- 
try. The  nations  of  the  old  world  are  not  now  adapted 
to  free  institutions  like  ours.  Even  England  and  France, 
enlightened  as  they  are,  are  probably  as  happy  under 
their  own  monarchies  as  they  would  be  under  a  republic; 
not  because  there  is  a  want  of  intelligence  among  cer- 
tain classes,  but  because  there  is  a  want  of  intelligence 
among  the  people.  In  some  portions  of  our  country  the 
schools  have  been  left  almost  entirely  to  individual  exer- 
tion. In  these  portions  many  persons  are  found  who 
are  unable  to  read.  The  same  may  be  said  of  States 
where  schools  for  the  poor  are  established  by  law.  '  Let 
the  rich  educate  themselves,'  they  say,  'and  we  will  edu- 
cate the  poor.'  Now  whether  this  principle  of  regarding 
education  as  an  act  of  charity  be  right  or  wrong,  its 
operation  will  at  least  show  that  it  would  be  impractica- 
ble to  adopt  it  here,  for  where  it  has  prevailed — accord- 
ing to  the  best  information  that  can  be  obtained — one- 
third  of  the  whole  people  are  unable  to  read.  But  in 
every  State  where  free  schools  have  long  prevailed,  it  is 
very  difficult  to  find  a  single  person  who  is  unable  to  read 
and  write.  Where  free  schools  prevail,  the  State  exacts 
of  its  people  what  they  may  have  to  give — of  the  rich  man, 
his  money  ;  of  the  poor  man,  his  children.  There  is  one 
evil  not  yet  provided  for,  and  that  is  the  lamentable  want  of 
qualified  teachers.  It  is  well  known  that  in  many  set- 
tlements the  people  are  obliged  to  depend  upon  the  wan- 
dering refugees  of  other  States,  and  such  transient  per- 
sons as  may  happen  to  come  along,  to  teach  their  schools. 
The  evil,  however,  is  not  without  a  remedy — by  erecting 
county  seminaries,  in  which  the  Latin  and  Greek  Ian- 
guages,  and  the  higher  branches  of  an  English  education, 
may  be  taught.  We  must  have  education.  So  popular 
is  the  subject  of  education  now  in  this  State,  that  it  is 
advoca.ted  in  every  newspaper  and  its  praises  are  sung 
on  every  '  stump.'  The  public  mind  may  be  convulsed 
in   discussions  concerning  the  State  Bank  or  the  Canal, 


176 


HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 


but  such  matters  are  as  the  dust  in  the  balance  when 
compared  to  a  subject  like  this.  In  the  day  of  small 
things  let  us  plant  the  tree  under  whose  branches  mil- 
lions of  the  future  inhabitants  of  this  great  Valley  will 
repose  in  security  and  peace." 

These  are  words  worthy  to  be  framed  in  every  school 
room  in  the  land. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


THE    YEAR    OF   THE    PANIC. 


E  NOW  enter  upon  the  year  1837. 
The  United  States  public  debt  had 
been  paid,  and  there  was  besides  a 
surplus  in  the  treasury,  which  was 
refunded  to  the  States.  And  yet  in 
the  face  of  this  seeming  prosperity,  a 
stringency  in  commercial  affairs  spread 
over  the  entire  nation,  as  a  cloud  shadows  the  landscape 
on  a  sunny  day,  and  involved  business  enterprises  of  all 
kinds  in  one  common  ruin.  The  banks  throughout  the 
United  States,  with  few  exceptions,  in  the  spring  of  this 
year  suspended  specie  payments  ;  yet  by  virtue  of  energy 
and  a  good  deal  of  credit,  most  of  the  Illinois  internal 
improvements  still   went  on.      The  first  railroad  in  the 


FIRST   RAILROAD   IN   STATE.  177 

State  was  opened  this  year,  just  forty  years  ago.  It  was  in 
Morgan  county,  between  Meredosia,  on  the  Illinois  river, 
and  Jacksonville,  about  twenty-five  miles.  It  was  laid 
with  flat  "  strap  rails,"  and  at  first  a  locomotive  was  put 
on,  but  this  was  afterward  superseded  by  horse  and  mule 
power. 

March  4th,  Chicago,  having  a  population  of  four  thou- 
sand, was  incorporated  and  became  a  city,  although  its 
future  commerce  was  so  far  future  that  its  merchants 
were  obliged  to  import  flour  from  Ohio  to  supply  their 
customers.  The  weather  seemed  in  sympathy  with  the 
money  market,  for  the  spring  was  backward,  and  it  was 
late  before  the  crops  were  in  the  ground. 

On  May  22d,  there  was  a  snow-storm,  and  quite  an 
amount  of  snow  fell,  which,  though  it  remained  but  a 
few  hours,  was  yet  a  phenomenon  unusual  enough  to  be 
remembered.     In 

BIG  GROVE,   ' 

Luman  Preston,  from  Middlebury,  Vermont,  made  a 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  probably  the  pre- 
vious summer,  on  the  prairie  east  of  Newark,  where  his 
widow  still  lives.  He,  too,  was  a  prairie  pioneer,  and 
was  laughed  at  bj  his  grove  neighbors,  who  believed  he 
could  not  make  a  cabin  stay  there.  He  had  been  living 
in  Jacksonville  two  years,  and  Josiah  Seymour  came 
from  that  place  with  him  and  took  a  claim  on  the  hill 
west  of  Mr.  Harrington's.  He  is  now  in  Nebraska. 
Mrs.  Preston  kept  an  interesting  diary  during  the  nine 
weeks'  journey  from  Vermont,  and  for  some  time  after- 
wards. She  says  :  "  Wherever  we  stopped,  we  were 
surrounded  with  people,  anxious  to  know  where  we  were 


178  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

from  and  whither  going.  While  passing  through  York 
State,  one  old  man  accosted  us  with  :  '  What  part  you 
from?'  '  Middlebury,  Vermont,'  we  replied.  '  Var- 
mount,  Varmount,'  he  answered ;  '  I've  heern  tell  o' 
that  place.  Let's  see — what  State  is  that  in  ?'  We 
came  to  Jacksonville  in  1834.  The  next  year  a  com- 
pany came  up  in  a  lumber  wagon,  taking  their  own  pro- 
visions, and  prospected  through  to  Chicago.  They 
thought  the  region  around  Georgetown  the  finest  they 
saw  ;  indeed,  quite  the  heart  of  the  country ;  so  we  all 
decided  to  move  up  here.  For  the  first  few  years  we 
saw  hard  times.  We  were  often  in  danger  of  being 
burnt  out  by  prairie  fires,  and  had  to  plow  furrows  and 
burn  spaces  around  us  for  our  protection.  Our  first 
stovepipe  I  made  myself  out  of  oak  boards,  after  soak- 
ing them  well  in  salt  water  to  make  them  incombustible. 
It  lasted  a  month  or  two.  Once,  while  we  were  waiting 
for  Jackson's  mill  to  be  finished,  we  ran  out  of  flour 
and  meal.  Some  of  the  neighbors  did  not  taste  bread 
for  weeks.  Ephraim  Mott  and  family  lived  with  us,  and 
we  made  corn  meal  with  a  grater  and  jack-plane,  and 
lived  like  kings."  John  Hough,  from  New  York, 
claimed  next  south,  now  David  Gunsul's  farm,  and  his 
brother,  Jerry  Hough,  came  next,  on  S.  C.  Sleezer's 
place.  Both  are  dead.  Other  settlers  were  :  George 
D.  Barrows,  New  York  ;  Harlow  G.  Wilcox,  Madison 
county,  New  York  ;  Ephraim  Mott,  William  Haymond, 
Ohio ;  and  Capt.  A^an  Meter,  now  in  Minnesota.  He 
opened  a  brick-yard  near  Lott  Scofield's.  There  was  a 
brick-yard  also  at 

NEWARK, 

on  the  edge  of  the  prairie,  between  the  grove  and  John 


DROWNED    IN   FOX    RIVER.  179 

Boy  en's,  worked  by  Pat  Cunningham.  Henry  Shad- 
ley,  from  Ottawa,  worked  there.  He  was  drowned  in 
Fox  river,  in  June,  and  his  was  the  third  grave  in  the 
Millington  and  Newark  cemetery.  A.  D.  Newton  helped 
dig  it.  The  second  one  buried  was  Miss  Heath,  from 
over  the  river. 

The  second  store  in  Newark  was  opened  by  Mr.  Booth 
on  the  site  of  Erwin's  blacksmith  shop.  It  still  stands, 
as  good  as  ever,  and  is  Mr.  Erwin's  dwelling  house. 
Charles  McNeil  bought  George  Hollenback's  second 
building,  and  Tilton  place.  The  Newark  precinct  house 
was  built  during  the  summer,  and  used  not  only  for 
elections,  but  for  schools  and  meetings.  Miss  Diantha 
Gleason  was  the  first  teacher.  Before  that,  school  was 
kept  over  Hollenback's  store,  by  Mr.  Neese,  and  in  a 
log  cabin  in  the  grove,  near  Gridley's,  by  Mrs.  Sloan. 

hollenback's  school  house 
was  built  in  the  centre  of  that  grove  during  the  fall,  and 
Henry  Bosworth,  now  living  on  Lester  Taylor's  place, 
was  the  first  teacher.     The  following  are  among  the  early 
teachers  in  that  district : 

Henry  Bosworth,  Benjamin  Beach  Fellows,  Eleazer 
H.  Austin,  Joseph  B.  Lyon,  Perry  A.  Armstrong,  James 
H.  Lyon,  Miss  Sirilda  Pyeatt,  James  Butter,  Orange 
Potter,  Hallet  Bemis,  Sanford  Washburn,  Irus  Coy. 

In  1845  the  district  was  divided,  but  the  original 
house  still  stands  in  all  its  primitive  glory,  and  is  used 
as  a  dwelling  by  William  Stone,  about  two  miles  west  of 
Pavilion,  on  the  road  leading  to  Newark. 

Col.  Aaron  Brown  had  a  claim  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  embracing  the  farms  of  Mr.  Ballou  and  Mr. 


180  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Brodie.  His  dwelling  was  a  little  log  house,  part  of 
which  still  stands,  in  the  bottom  opposite  Mr.  Brodie's. 
In  1837  he  sold  to 

JOHN    ALDRICH, 

from  Orleans  county,  New  York.  Mr.  Aldrich  had  a 
family  of  five  children,  and  in  1856  removed  to  Iowa. 
Wilber  White  had  the  only  house  on  the  prairie,  on 
what  is  now  Moses  White's  place.  Thomas  Pike  was 
at  the  mouth  of  Rock  creek,  where  Post's  Mill  now  is, 
and  owned  a  very  large  claim  on  the  west  side  of  the 
creek.  A  daughter  is  now  Mrs.  Willet  Murray,  of 
Ottawa.  Samuel  Finch  lived  where  Mr.  Wilder  does. 
His  son,  Darius  Finch,  was  here  before.  On  the  south 
side  of  the  river  Alanson  Robinson  settled  on  Daniel 
Bagwell's  place,  and  Thomas  Serrine  on  Matthew  Budd's 
place.  They  were  brothers-in-law,  and  both  from 
Dutchess  county.  New  York.  James  H.  Whitney,  son- 
in-law  of  James  Southworth,  was  on  the  Charles  Krouse 
farm.  He  bought  part  of  his  claim  of  Mr.  Montgom- 
ery. Ole  Oleson  owned  what  is  now  John  Boy  en's  and 
Isaac  Lott's.  It  was  the  first  claimed  by  William 
Brooks,  who  sold  to  Oleson,  and  who  still  lives  and 
resides  at  Sandwich. 

In  Big  Grove  Mr.  Coombs  built  a  shanty  in  Stowell's 
timber  lot,  chinking  the  crevices  with  leaves  and  earth. 
Mr.  Stowell  came  upon  it  one  day  and  notified  the  neigh- 
bors, who  nearly  all  belonged  to  the  "claim  society." 
They  assembled  on  an  appointed  day,  and  chopped  the 
logs  of  the  shanty  into  firewood  just  as  Coombs  arrived 
with  his  family.  They  admonished  him,  and  sent  him 
back  in  peace. 


BURIED    IN    A   WELL.  181 

REV.    JEPTHAH    BRAINARD, 

William  Paddock  and  John  Gardner,  and  families, 
George  Paddock  and  Cole  Gardner,  single  men,  came 
in  a  body  from  Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
settled  in  the  town  of  Fox.  The  families  came  over- 
land, but  sent  their  goods  around  by  water.  From 
Oswego,  New  York,  to  Ithaca,  they  were  hauled  on  a 
horse  railroad — wooden  rails,  capped  with  strap  iron. 
Mr.  Paddock  settled  on  the  present  Paddock  place,  a 
mile  from  Newark,  and  Mr.  Brainard  settled  at  first  on 
the  Sweetland  place,  south  of  Newark,  but  soon  after 
bought  the  farm  now  owned  by  John  Phillips.  While 
digging  a  well  on  that  place  in  the  fall  of  1837,  after  he 
had  sunk  it  in  the  sand  some  thirty  feet,  it  caved  in  on 
him,  filling  up  a  foot  above  his  head.  His  boys  uncov- 
ered his  head  and  ran  for  help,  and  notwithstanding  the 
sparse  population,  there  was  soon  gathered  a  large  com- 
pany of  people,  some  of  whom  came  several  miles.  A 
number  were  waiting  at  Jackson's  saw  mill,  and  were  on 
the  spot  in  a  few  minutes.  Two  hogsheads  were  first 
lowered,  as  a  curbing  against  the  sand,  and  a  neighbor 
happening  along  with  a  load  of  twelve  feet  boards,  these 
were  also  used.  While  they  were  digging,  the  sand 
caved  in  again  worse  than  before,  and  yet  the  imprisoned 
man  was  not  killed.  The  work  went  on  all  the  after- 
noon, amid  the  most  intense  excitement,  and  Mr.  Brain- 
ard was  pulled  out  at  last  uninjured.  So  tightly  was 
the  sand  packed  that  when  he  was  uncovered  to  his  boot- 
tops  he  still  could  not  get  out.  It  is  unnecessary  to 
say  that  he  abandoned  that  well  and  used  good  curbing 
for  the  next  one.     The  incident  made  a  deep  impression 


182  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY. 

at  the  time,  and  is  vividly  remembered  yet  by  all  old 
settlers. 

The  first  preaching  in  Newark  was  by  Rev.  Royal 
Bullard,  in  Hollenback's  store  loft,  in  1837,  the  preacher 
standing  behind  a  chair  for  a  pnlpit.  But  when  the 
precinct  house  was  built,  as  it  was  common  property, 
preachers  of  all  denominations  followed  each  other,  just 
as  they  did  in  most  of  the  early  school  houses  through- 
out the  county.  The  practice  made  cosmopolitan  hearers. 
It  enabled  the  community  to  judge  of  the  relative  merits 
of  preachers  and  distinguishing  characteristics  of  denom- 
inations. It  trained  the  powers  of  criticism  so  that  the 
youngest  could  tell  to  what  denomination  a  preacher 
belonged,  by  some  peculiarity  of  manner,  which  long 
hearkening  to  the  shrewd  observations  of  their  elders 
had  enabled  them  to  detect.  In  those  days,  ''nothing 
to  wear"  kept  no  one  at  home.  When  it  was  announced 
that  there  would  be 

PREACHING  IN  THE  SCHOOL  HOUSE 

at  "  half-past  ten,"  or  "at  early  candle  light,"  the  wife 
went  in  her  calico  dress  and  her  husband  in  his  Ken- 
tucky jeans,  hickory  shirt  and  straw  hat.  The  boys 
wore  suspenders  of  unbleached  shirting,  and  were  bare- 
foot, while  the  lively  young  man  donned  a  starched 
shirt,  unmarred  by  a  vest,  and  the  spacious  bosom  to 
best  advantage  displayed  as  he  sat  upon  one  of  the 
scholar's  desks  to  save  room,  the  admiration  and  envy 
of  the  little  boys. 

But  the  past  is  gone.  The  parents  have  laid  down 
the  weapons  of  their  warfare,  and  the  weather-stained 
marble  marks   the  place  where  they  "  sleep  in  the  val- 


DAYS    OF    OLD,    FAREWELL.  183 

ley."  The  spinning-wheel  is  in  the  garret,  the  grain 
cradle,  with  rusted  edge  and  broken  fingers,  is  in  a  cor- 
ner of  the  barn  loft,  and  the  hub  rings  of  the  wagon 
that  the  oxen  drew  to  meeting  are  at  the  bottom  of  the 
waste  iron  box.  The  young  man  who  sat  on  the  desk 
has  gray  hairs,  and  his  family,  one  by  one,  are  leaving 
him,  and  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening  he  thinks  of  the 
time  when  he.  too,  shall  pass  away,  and  his  white  memo- 
rial stone  shall  rise  by  the  side  of  the  brov/n  ones  in  the 
graveyard.  The  little  boys  are  active  men,  and  other 
little  boys  are  going  to  school,  but  there  are  no  schools 
like  the  old.  The  hazel  brush  patch  has  long  since 
been  cut  down,  and  play-houses  must  be  built  of  vulgar 
boards,  and  the  creek  where  the  minnows  sped  away, 
frightened  at  bare-legged  boys,  is  dry.  Days  of  old, 
farewell  ! 


CHAPTER  XXVIl. 


DEPARTURE  OF  THE  INDIANS. 

LIEZER  and  Warren  Moore  came  to  Lis- 
bon in  1837.  Warren  is  now  in  Otta- 
wa; Eliezer  is  dead,  and  his  widow  still 
lives  in  Lisbon.     The 

,;j  V^iXfeZ'       FIRST  LISBON  SCHOOL 

'v^^&T^  was  opened  in  a  log  granary  owned  by 
Levi  Hills,  and  was  taught  by  Elizabeth 
Bushnell,  now  Mrs.  A.  J.  Ford,  of  Chebanse.  The 
school-room  was  warmed  by  a  stove  Mr.  Bushnell  brought 
from  New  York.  William  and  Samuel  McCloud  settled 
a  mile  east  of  Plattville.  At  Piatt's,  Rev.  Mr.  Lumry 
held  occasional  preaching  service.  Chester  House,  the 
pioneer  of  the  town  of  Seward,  died  that  season  of  con- 
sumption, brought  on  by  exposure.  Two  of  the  present 
settlers  of  that  town — Daniel  Gleason  and  J.  L.  Van 
Cleve — came  in  at  the  same  time.  Both  were  young  men. 
William  Gleason  came  in  two  years  after. 

Millington    was    added    to    by  the  removal   there   of 
Fletcher  Misner,  who  left  the  Newark  business  to  Mr. 
Messenger,   and  built  a  shop   where  Mr.  Van  Osdel's 
house  now  stands.     Work  on  the  grist  mill  also  w^ent  on 


NAMING    OF    MILBROOK.  185 

with  all  speed.  Geo.  B.  Hollenback  and  Mr.  Elderding 
built  a  saw  and  grist  mill  at 

MILLBROOK, 

and  ran  it  four  years.  In  1841  they  sold  to  Greeley 
and  Gale,  of  St.  Louis. 

The  saw  mill  was  built  first,  with  a  twenty-four  foot 
overshot  wheel,  and  the  grist  mill  not  for  some  time  after- 
wards. William  Whitfield  took  it  in  1844,  but  the  water 
ran  low  and  finally  the  old  mill  was  sold  piecemeal.  The 
course  of  the  race  can  be  traced  yet,  a  little  above  the 
Millbrook  ford.  All  our  streams  are  lower  to-day  than 
when  the  country  was  first  settled.  About  the  time  they 
were  building  the  mill,  the  lady  who  was  to  name  the 
future  village  was  on  her  way  west.  It  was  Mrs.  Ra- 
chel Blanding.  Her  husband.  Dr.  Blanding,  was  in 
poor  health,  and  as  a  restorative,  they  entered,  in  com- 
pany with  an  aunt,  on  a  western  tour.  Going  down  the 
Ohio  river  to  its  mouth,  they  passed  up  the  Mississippi 
to  the  head  of  navigation ;  then  back  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Illinois  river  and  up  to  LaSalle,  and  thence  by  teams  to 
the  homes  of  their  friends,  Rev.  Royal  Bullard  and  Wm. 
Vernon.  While  here,  Mrs.  Blanding  named  Mr.  Bul- 
lard's  place  Millbrook  farm.  Several  years  after,  she 
left,  by  will,  one  hundred  dollars  to  help  build  a  meeting 
house  there,  two  conditions  being  attached,  viz :  It  was 
to  be  near  Millbrook  farm,  and  was  to  be  called  Mill- 
brook church. 

Mr.  Bullard  was  a  leader  in  every  good  work,  and 
a  Sunday  school  was  held  in  his  house  for  several  sum- 
mers. 

Peter  Ennis  was  a  tailor  in  Bristol.     Other  settlers 

13 


186  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

there  were,  Solomon  Heustis,  Lyman  Lane,  G.  W.  Lane, 
M.  W.  Lane,  W.  W.  Marsh,  J.  Pratt.  At  Yorkville, 
Mr.  Duryea  built  a  blacksmith  shop  and  a  cabinet  shop. 
Robert  Casler,  from  New  York,  and  now  residing  in  Little 
Rock,  worked  the  former ;  and  Isaac  Fouch  occupied  the 
latter.  Other  settlers  of  this  year  about  Long  Grove, 
were  Palmer  Sherman,  John  Boyd,  John  Parker,  Joab 
Austin,  D.  C.  Shepherd,  F.  A.  Emmons,  W.  M.  Hal- 
lock.  In  Na-au-say,  Ralph  Gates,  Dr.  T.  Seeley,  Edmund 
Seeley,  Francis  Foulston. 

In  Little  Rock,  A.  McLeary,  Matthew  Patterson, 
Solomon  Stebbins,  Nathan  C.  Mighell,  Edward  Lewis, 
Isaac  Hatch,  Mr.  Scott,  John  Shonts,  Amer  Cook, 
Daniel  Burroughs,  Morris  Hadden,  William  Ryan, 
Thomas  Lye.  The  two  latter  came  together.  The 
senior  Cook  was  an  old  Revolutionary  soldier,  and 
though  more  than  eighty  years  old,  was  often  seen  with 
a  gun  on  his  shoulder,  meandering  up  Little  Rock  creek 
after  game.  Patterson  and  Stebbins  Avere  the  first  on 
Blackberry  creek.  The  claim  made  by  the  latter  is  now 
Levi  Gorton's  farm.     A  notable  event  this  year  was 

MOVING  THE  INDIANS. 
William  Mulkey  reports  his  share  in  it  as  follows : 
"The  contract  to  move  them  was  advertised  for  by  gov- 
ernment, and  given  to  Christopher  Dobson  as  the  lowest 
bidder.  William  Rogers,  of  Paw  Paw,  known  as  '  Black- 
leg Bill,'  had  the  contract  to  feed  them  while  on  the 
road.  I  hired  to  him  at  $2.50  a  day,  out  and  back.  He 
put  in  five  teams.  The  farmers  in  diiferent  parts  were 
hired  first  to  bring  them  in  to  Chicago,  and  from  there 
we  started  for  the  Platte  purchase  on  Platte  river,  seven 


MOVING   THE    INDIANS.     .  187 

hundred  miles  west.  At  Shabbona  Grove  we  made  a 
halt,  and  paid  the  Indians  their  annuities.  It  was 
known  that  we  were  going  to  do  so,  and  some  parties 
from  Princeton  were  soon  in  sight  with  the  inevitable 
load  of  whisky.  They  did  not  dare  to  come  within  the 
limits  of  the  reserve,  but  camped  outside  and  showed 
the  whisky  to  an  Indian.  He  told  the  others,  and  in  a 
little  while  they  were  all  yelling  drunk,  and  the  whisky 
sellers  were  taking  in  the  silver  half  dollars  in  a  stream. 
The  contractors  saw  it  was  going  to  delay  their  march 
until  the  Indians'  money  was  all  gone,  and  Bill  Rogers 
went  out  boldly  with  an  axe  and  stove  in  all  the  barrels. 
We  thought  that  was  the  end  of  it,  but  when  we  were  a 
little  past  Princeton  the  sheriff's  posse  overtook  us  with 
a  warrant  to  arrest  Bill.  A  petty  chief,  by  the  name  of 
Lefiambeaux  was  with  us,  a  French  half-breed.  He 
raised  the  war  cry,  and  such  a  whooping  and  yelling  and 
brandishinor  of  hatchets  as  followed  was  enouorh  to  curdle 
a  white  man's  blood.  They  drove  the  sheriff  and  his 
men  back  to  town,  and  Bill  escaped  arrest.  We  were 
nearly  two  months  on  the  outward  journey.  There 
were  sixteen  wagons  altogether  in  the  company,  some  of 
them  belonging  to  the  wealthy  Indians,  who  were  allowed 
the  same  pay  by  the  government  as  was  given  to  the  rest 
of  us.  We  carried  the  women  and  children  and  their 
household  furniture,  while  the  men  walked.  We  crossed 
the  river  where  Kansas  City  now  is,  and  then  the  tribe 
separated,  part  going  to  the  Osage  and  part  to  the  Platte. 
When  we  arrived  at  our  journey's  end  we  set  the  In- 
dians out  on  the  open  ground,  unloaded  their  traps 
alongside,  and  came  away  and  left  them  there.  I  was 
gone  three  months." 


188  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

In  Oswego,  Mrs.  Pease,  L.  B.  Judson's  mother,  kept 
tavern.  Mr.  Osborn  kept  store,  and  Ezra  Smith  opened 
the  first  shoe  shop.  He  was  a  fine  performer  on  the 
tenor  drum,  and  was  a  manufacturer  of  drums.  Many 
were  sold  during  the  war.  G.  W.  Wormley,  Daniel 
Cooney  and  Henry  A.  Clarke  came  in  and  took  up 
claims.  The  latter  settled,  at  first,  on  the  place  where 
William  and  John  Pearce  now  live.  He  opened  one  of 
the  first  dry  goods  stores  in  Oswego,  and  continued  in 
the  business  twenty  years. 

Mr.  Sutton  was  a  transient  settler  who  used  to  sell 
claims.  A  great  claim  fight  occurred  this  year  near 
Oswego,  between  the  friends  of  H.  A.  Clarke  and  Thomas 
Strobridge.  On  an  appointed  day,  about  thirty  on  a 
side  met,  and  weapons  and  bad  language  were  used,  and 
such  a  moral  dust  raised  as  did  not  settle  for  years. 

This  season,  the  Oswego  postoffice  was  established, 
and  the  first  school  was  opened  in  a  log  building  on  the 
hill  above  where  the  brewery  stands.  George  Kellogg 
was  the  first  teacher  ;  then  Mr.  King.  The  next  season 
a  frame  building  was  put  up  on  the  same  lot  with  the 
store.  The  studdings  were  hewed  out  of  rails.  It  was 
the  first  frame  in  Oswego,  and  is  now  a  part  of  Albert 
Snook's  residence.  It  was  made  for  a  store,  but  school 
was  held  in  it.  Adaline  Warner,  sister  of  Mrs.  George 
Parker,  was  the  first  teacher.  Four  of  the  village  lot  owners, 
L.  B.  Judson,  L.  F.  Arnold,  Mr.  Green  and  Dr.  Trow- 
bridge, voted  for  a  name  for  the  new  post-office,  and  the 
result  was  that  "  Lodi"  and  "Hudson"  became  Oswego 
by  two  majority.      Mr.  Green   and   one  or  two  others 


SCHOOLS  AND  THEIR  TEACHERS.        189 

were  from  Oswego,  New  York.  Another  primitive  school 
house  was  built  by  subscription  at 

YORKVILLE, 

and  school  opened.  Day  school  was  commenced  in  the  fall 
in  a  log  school  house,  built  by  subscription,  on  Daniel 
Bagwell's  farm.  It  was  the  forerunner  of  the  present 
Millington  school.  Miss  Lester,  sister  of  Lemuel  Les- 
ter of  Sheridan,  was  the  first  teacher.  She  was  followed 
by  Tunis  Budd,  Mr.  Bates  and  Mr.  Montenoy.  Titus 
Howe  built  the  Yorkville  mill  this  season.  He  had  for 
two  years  been  running  a  mill  in  Batavia.  On  the 
Bristol  side  of  the  river, 

A  FRAME  SCHOOL  HOUSE 

was  built,  near  Dea.  Johnson's,  and  Emily  Webster 
taught  the  first  school  in  it.  Eleanor  Miller,  from 
Aurora,  followed.  After  two  years  it  was  moved  nearer 
the  river,  and  Charlotte  Bushnell,  a  sister  of  the  first 
Lisbon  teacher,  was  the  first  to  occupy  the  new  position. 
The  school  was  subsequently  held  in  different  buildings 
after  the  original  house  was  moved  toward  Oswego. 
George  Bristol,  Rhoda  Godard,  and  Miss  Beardsley 
were  among  the  early  teachers.  Not  many  records  were 
kept,  for  it  was  all  the  people  wanted  to  do  to  live. 
Money  was  very  scarce,  provisions  sometimes  hard  to 
get,  teachers'  wages  six  dollars  a  month,  and  there  was 
but  little  attempt  on  the  part  of  either  parents  or  teacher 
to  provide  for  more  than  present  necessities.  Indeed, 
no  people  on  earth  at  that  day,  and  in  those  circumstan- 
ces, beside  the  American  people,  would  have  striven  so 
hard  to  provide  a  common   school   education   for  their 


190  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

children  at  all.  From  every  other  country,  even  from 
enlightened  Britain,  emigrants  were  coming  by  scores 
who  could  not  read  their  own  names,  while  out  in  the 
wilderness  wilds  of  the  country  there  was  scarcely  a  boy 
not  able  to  read  the  paper  containing  the  notice  of  their 
arrival.  As  the  royal  monogram  on  the  clothing  of  the 
infant  prince  marks  it  as  belonging  to  the  royal  family, 
so  the  rouojh  school  house  in  each  settlement  was  the 
royal  mark,  telling  that  it  belonged  to  the  people  fore- 
ordained of  Almighty  God  to  be  the  royal  nation  of  the 
world.  The  bulk  of  the  nation  might  be  far  away 
toward  the  eastern  ocean,  and  the  settlement  consist  of 
but  six  scattered  cabins,  whose  occupants  were  strug- 
gling for  daily  bread,  yet  the  humble,  log-ribbed  school 
house  showed  the  blood  relation  between  them,  and  was 
itself  the  rough-robed  prophet  of  a  future  time  when  on 
these  shores  the  grateful  world  shall  see  what  it  never 
yet  has  seen — the  national  power  of  Christian  education. 


CHAPTER  XXVllI 


EMIGRATION  AT  LOW  TIDE. 


'he  year  1838  opened  with  a  de- 
crease of  emigrants  over  any  preceding 
year.  The  crash  of  '37  had  not  only 
bankrupted  the  nation,  but  had  exposed 
many  of  the  fallacies  set  afloat  by  wes- 
tern speculators,  and  had  dissolved  in- 
to thin  air  those  hopes  of  sudden  wealth 
which  had  been  beckoning  the  east  toward  the  setting  sun. 
The  State  of  Illinois,  however,  weathered  the  blast  as 
well  as  might  be,  by  abandoning  the  system  of  internal 
improvements,  except  work  on  the  canal,  and  passing 
pre-emption  laws.  Real  estate,  for  the  time,  however,  was 
a  drug  in  the  market,  and  even  in  Chicago  could  scarcely 
be  sold  at  any  price. 

During  the  summer,  the  village  of  Lisbon  was  laid  out 
by  Lancellot  Rood,  and  in  January 

MILLINGTON 

was  laid  out  by  Major  Hitt.  As  in  laying  out  Newark,  he 
brought  his  lines  from  the  Indian  boundary,  five  miles 
away.     Mr.  Jackson  was  anxious  to   have  it  exact,  so 


192  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

as  not  to  touch  the  school  lands,  and  though  it  was  a 
foggy  day,  Hitt  did  it  so  well  that  when  the  government 
surveyor,  Eli  J.  Prescott,  the  following  year  surveyed 
the  county,  the  half  section  corner  intersecting  the  county 
line,  near  Joe  Jackson's,  was  only  three  feet  from  Hitt's 
corner.  The  new  town  was  called  Milford  by  Jackson 
and  Hitt.  The  postoffice  was  not  established  there  for 
some  twenty  years,  when  the  name  was  changed  to  Mil- 
lington,  out  of  respect  for  another  Milford  somewhere  in 
the  State.  The  grist  mill  was  started  this  season,  and 
also  the  "  Milford  Pottery,"  a  little  above  the  village. 
Mr.  Grroover  owned  the  land,  and  being  a  potter  by  trade, 
manufactured  a  quantity  of  unglazed  ware,  mostly  chim- 
ney and  flower  pots.  The  clay  was  said  to  be  very  good, 
but  has  never  been  utilized  to  any  extent. 

THE  MILFORD  M.  E.  CHURCH 

was  built  the  same  year — one  year  after  the  Big  Grove 
church.  Among  the  contributors  to  the  building  fund 
were : 

William  Royal,  R.  BuUard,  R.  W.  Carnes,  Jepthah 
Brainard,  H.  S.  Misner,  L.  *  Rood,  Philip  Verbeck, 
Fletcher  Misner,  John  C.  Hough,  John  S.  Armstrong, 
Wm.  Paddock,  Jesse  Jackson,  James  Rood,  W.  L.  F. 
Jones,  Nathan  Aldrich,  C.  Gardiner,  Daniel  Shattley. 

Lancellot  Rood  was  the  treasurer  of  the  building  fund. 
Philip  Verbeck  did  the  mason  work.  The  subscriptions 
ranged  from  ten  to  seventy  dollars.  Only  the  first  five 
names  mentioned  were  members  of  the  church.  The 
first  sermon  preached  in  the  new  house  was  by  Rev. 
John  Sinclair,  at  the  funeral  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Jackson, 
wife  of  Jesse  Jackson,  who  died  May  7th,  1839.     After 


MILFORD    METHODIST    CHURCH.  193 

five  years,  a  movement  was  made  to  seat  the  church,  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty  bushels  of  wheat  were  sub- 
scribed. The  cash  was  realized  by  selling  the  wheat  in 
Chicago  for  forty  and  fifty  cents  a  bushel.  The  finan- 
cial committee  made  the  following  report : 

Wheat  sold — 28  bushels,  at  40  cts.  -  _  _  $11.20 

"    —58  •'         50    "       -  -  -  -       29.00 

Cash  collected,  -  .  _  _  -  5.00 

$45.20 

George  Paddock  made  the  seats,  the  carpenter  work 
costing  twenty-four  dollars.  The  building  is  now  Wil- 
liam Gunsel's  barn.  Following  are  the  circuit  preachers 
on  the  charge  from  the  first,  and  for  twenty  years  during 
which  the  old  house  was  used : 

William  Royal,  S.  F.  Whitney, 

S.  P.  Keys,  Elihu  Springer, 

RuFUS  LuMRY,  Wesley  Batchelor, 

S.  F.  Denning,  Elisha  Bibbins, 

Levi  Brainard,  S.  R.  Beggs, 

John  Renter,  Levi  Jenks, 

J.  W.  Burton,      ,  John  Agard, 

W.  B,  Atkinson,  A.  Walliscrapt, 

J.  Lazenby,  H.  W.  Reed, 

J.  W.  Fowler,  M.  Lewis, 

David  Cassidy,  Robert  Wright. 

In  the  spring  of  1838 

NATHAN   ALDRICH,    THOMAS    FINNIE, 

George  Sleezer,  James  Thompson  and  Henry  Waddle 
came  together  from  Orleans  county,  New  York,  and  Al- 
drich  an(/  Finnic  bought  their  present  farms  of  W.  W. 
Pickering  Mr.  Aldrich  has  three  children  surviving : 
Lyell  Aldrich,  Mrs.  Thomas  Finnic,  and  Mrs.  L.  H. 
Carr,  of  Sandwich.     An  aunt,  Miss  Lizzie  Aldrich,  died 


194  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

November  7th,  1838,  and  was  the  seventh  buried  in  the 
Newark  and  Millington  Cemetery.     In  August 

JAMES    SOUTHWORTH 

and  family,  from  Oneida  county,  New  York,  settled  at 
Mission  Point.  George  Southworth  had  bought  the 
property  two  years  before.  There  was  a  cleared  spot  of 
an  acre  in  the  woods,  on  which  had  formerly  been  sev- 
eral log  buildings,  but  they  were  taken  down  and  the 
logs  used  for  a  larger  house.  Quite  a  large  tract  of 
land  belonged  to  the  mission.  It  was  broken  up  by  the 
Indian  war,  and  the  mission  farmer  shot  in  the  door  of 
his  cabin,  near  J.  S.  Armstrong's.  James  Southworth 
bought  of  Ole  Oleson  in  1839,  and  the  following  year 
built  the  house  now  occupied  by  George  Cooper,  New- 
ark. He  died  in  1841.  The  surviving  children  are 
Mrs.  L.  T.  Aldrich — better  known  as  "  Galva  " — Mrs. 
C.  J.  0.  Verbeck,  Mrs.  J.  R.  Whitney,  Missouri,  and 
L.  R.  P.  Southworth,  of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Aldrich  says : 
"  We  took  passage  in 

THE    SCHOONER    DETROIT, 

which  sailed  from  Oswego,  New  York,  July  6th,  1838, 
and  arrived  at  Chicago  August  12th,  being  five  weeks 
making  the  trip.  At  that  time  the  Welland  canal  was 
not  constructed  so  as  to  admit  of  the  easy  passage  of  so 
large  vessels  as  the  Detroit,  and  frequent  delays  occurred 
from  running  aground,  getting  stuck  in  locks,  etc. 

"From  two  causes  when  out  in  the  open  lake  we  were 
driven  about  by  every  gale.  The  keel  had  been  taken 
from  the  schooner  so  as  to  admit  of  her  passage  through 
the  canal  to  navigate  the  upper  lakes,  which  caused  her 


THE    SOUTWORTHS'    VOYAGE.  195 

to  drift  at  all  times,  but  far  worse  unless  well  laden ;  and 
as  the  owners  of  the  vessel  could  not  find  sufficient 
freight  at  Oswego,  we  sailed  with  enough  for  ballast, 
stopping  at  all  the  principal  cities,  hoping  to  get  more, 
but  finding  little  for  Chicago ;  a  few  grind-stones  were 
got  in  at  one  place,  and  a  few  barrels  of  salt  and  whisky 
in  another,  but  a  full  cargo  was  not  obtained. 

"At  Mackinaw,  we  were  delayed  more  than  a  week 
by  head  winds,  giving  us  ample  time  to  visit  all  those 
places  of  interest,  the  reputation  of  which  has  become 
almost  world-wide,  such  as  the  Soldiers'  Burying  Ground, 
The  Case,  Old  Fort  Home,  The  Arch,  Sugar  Loaf,  Lov- 
er's Leap,  and  the  Mackinaw  Fort,  each  having  a  legend 
of  its  own,  which  we  learned  from  the  inhabitants  and 
natives. 

'*  But  the  winds  becoming  favorable,  we  left  the  Island 
and  went  to  Chicago,  sailing  up  the  river  and  landing 
on  the  opposite  side  from  the  old  log  Fort,  which  was  then 
in  a  state  of  tolerable  repair. 

"As  we  stepped  from  the  deck  of  the  Detroit, 
the  crew,  from  Capt.  Hawkins  down  to  the  cook, 
each  gave  us  all  a  parting  grasp  and  a  good- 
bye. And  would  you  believe  it? — the  most  of  us 
shed  tears  on  leaving  the  old  schooner  which  had  come 
to  be  almost  like  a  home." 

In  addition  to  the  names  already  given,  the  following 
may  be  mentioned  as  being  here,  many  of  them  previous 
to  and  all  of  them  as  early  as  1838  :  Isaac  and  Orange 
Potter,  Joseph  Sly,  Michael  Graw,  Wm,  Sly,  Henry 
Sherman,  John  and  Jacob  Heath,  F.  B.  DuBois,  Alan- 
son  Parker,  Peter  Teal,  W.  P.  Lettson,  John  Whitmore, 


196  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

C.  B.  Rhodes,  Smith  Herrick,  Charles  Carr,  Elisha  B. 
Wright,  Palmer  Kinnie,  John  Coombs,  David  Shaffer, 
George  D.  Hicks,  E.  T.  Lewis,  W.  H.  St.  Clair,  Ben- 
jamin Pitzer,  Clark  Holdrid^e. 

CHARLES  F.  RICHARDSON 

came  to  Chicago  this  year,  and  the  following  season  set- 
tled in  Na-au-say.  He  was  a  sailor,  and  had  visited 
many  of  the  principal  seaports  throughout  the  world. 
His  brother,  P.  P.  Richardson,  M.  D.,  a  graduate  of 
Harvard  College,  came  out  in  1846,  and  the  two  were 
together  in  the  nursery  business  some  time.  Thomas 
J.  Phillips  came  on  horseback  from  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania.  He  started  alone,  but  fell  in  with  others 
on  the  road. 

In  1838  came  Russell  Wing,  from  New  York,  David 
Ferguson,  Edward  Edgerton,  S.  D.  Humiston,  E.  T. 
Lewis. 

John  Chambers  was  a  tailor  in  New^ark,  and  George 
and  James  Armour  opened  a  store  where  D.  A.  Hunger's 
house  now  stands.  George  A.  is  a  well-known  elevator 
man  of  Chicago.     The 

FOURTH  OF  JULY 

was  celebrated  at  Big  Grove  by  a  great  assemblage  from 
the  surrounding  settlements.  There  was  a  free  dinner, 
gathered  by  Dr.  Kendall,  an  oration,  and  a  flag  made  of 
flannel  by  Mrs.  Barnard.  The  flag  stafi"  was  fastened 
in  a  hollow  stump  near  the  church,  and  the  patriotic 
colors  floated  as  proudly  in  the  breeze  as  if  the  material 
had  been  shining  silk.  It  was  a  famous  day,  well 
remembered  by  every  one  of  the  few  survivors. 


TOWNSHIPS    LAID    OUT.  197 

Among  the  arrivals  in  Kendall  and  Bristol,  were  Da- 
vid Cook,  M.  D.,  James,  Elihu  and  John  J.  Griswold, 
George  D.  and  C.  F.  Richardson,  Joseph  and  Daniel 
Wing,  VV.  P.  Boyd,  John  C.  Scofield,  R.  R.  Greenfield, 
Mr.  Chittenden,  Lewis  Morgan. 

The  old  Bristol  cemetery  was  opened  in  '38,  and  Mrs. 
James  McClellan,  Sr.,  was  the  first  one  buried.  Her 
daughter-in-law  was  the  next.  B.  F.  Alden  dug  the  first 
grave.  It  is  now  superceded  by  the  new  Elmwood 
cemetery. 

During  the  summer  the  county  was  surveyed  by 

GOVERNMENT    SURVEYORS 

under  Eli  Prescott.  A  township  was  first  laid  off,  and 
it  was  then  divided  into  sections,  the  corners  marked  by 
little  mounds,  two  feet  high,  filled  with  charcoal,  and  a 
stake  set  in,  on  which  the  number  of  the  sections  were 
marked.  The  county  was  full  of  ponds  and  sloughs,  and 
the  season  was  wet  and  the  chain  carriers  were  not  accu- 
rate. So  section  lines  do  not  always  agree,  and  frac- 
tional sections  are  found  on  the  north  and  west  sides  of 
townships.  The  Land  Sale  did  not  occur  until  the  next 
year. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 


A  CHANGE  FOR  THE  BETTER. 


N  Little  Rock  Mr.  Coon  opened  a  black- 
smith shop,  near  the  present  site  of  the 
church.  Dr.  J.  T.  H.  Brady,  of  New  York 
city,  having  received  his  diploma  the  year 
before,  came  west  for  his  health,  not  intend- 
ing to  stay,  but  having  made  a  claim  on 
Big  Rock  Creek  and  liking  the  country,  he 
remained  there  eight  years,  and  then  moved 
into  Little  Rock  village,  where  he  now  resides.  His 
brother,  L.  D.  Brady,  lives  in  Aurora. 

A  school  was  opened  in  a  log  building  west  of  Mr.  Mul- 
key's,  afterwards  Edward  Hall's  residence.  Finally  moved 
to  a  room  below  Hatch's  blacksmith  shop,  opposite  the 
church.  Miss  Lawson  and  Miss  Lay,  now  Mrs.  Faye, 
were  the  first  teachers.  One  day  in  May  a  company  of 
emigrants  from  Wayne  county,  Pennsylvania,  passed 
through  Little  Rock,  stopping  only  long  enough  to  water 
and  feed.     They  were 

MARCUS  STEWARD 

and  family,  since  well  known  wherever  the  political  lan- 
guage of  the  Independents  is  spoken.   Coming  on  towards 


THE    STEWARD    FAMILY    ARRIVE.  199 

the  river  in  a  southeasterly  direction,  they  put  up  at  Mr. 
Matlock's  over  night.  Four  families,  containing  twenty- 
seven  persons,  were  under  the  little  cabin  roof,  but  they 
all  slept  well,  and  in  the  morning  hung  the  bedding  on 
poles  overhead.  Since  that  morning,  forty  years  have 
passed,  and  the  boys  have  been  wonderfully  prospered. 
George  and  Lewis  were  then  but  twelve  years  old,  but 
to-day  George  is  worth  f 50, 000  and  Lewis  a  quar- 
ter of  a  million.  He  is  president  of  one  rail  railroad 
and  a  director  of  another ;  owns  four  thousand  acres 
of  land,  and  one-half  or  one -third  interest  in  divers  mer- 
cantile associations.  As  the  centennial  candidate  of  the 
Independent  party  for  Governor  of  Illinois,  he  came 
near  being  elected,  running  ahead  of  his  ticket. 

The  sons  are  Lewis,  George  H.  and  John  F.,  at  Piano; 
Aurelius,  in  Bridgeport,  Connecticut ;  Wesley,  at  Stew- 
ard Station,  Lee  county,  and  Amasa,  in  Iowa.  Two 
daughters,  Mrs.  H.  B.  Henning  and  Mrs.  John  Smith. 
One  daughter,  Mary,  is  dead.  William  Ryan,  a  settler 
of  '36,  was  an  old  neighbor,  and  was  the  means  of  their 
coming  to  this  county.  Mr.  Steward's  claim  was  first 
taken  up  by  John  and  Benjamin  Evans. 

Brewer  Hubbell,  William  Ferguson,  Mr.  Chittenden 
and  William  Hunter  were  settlers  of  '38. 

THE  HIDDLESON  SCHOOL 

was  opened  in  1837.  Mr.  Hiddleson  took  the  contract 
to  build,  daub  and  cover  it  for  $80.  It  was  in  the  Rob 
Roy  timber.  Joseph  Lehman  was  the  first  teacher  ; 
then  Mr.  Pike,  Joseph  Matlock,  Otis  Fuller,  Y\\  J.  John- 
son, and  Capt.  Partridge.  In  a  year  or  two  the  Hold- 
ridge  school  started,  and  soon  drew  all  the  patronage. 


200  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Rev.  John  Beaver,  a  Baptist  preacher  from  Long  Grove, 
was  the  first  teacher.  After  him  came  Geo.  C.  Gale, 
Oscar  Bush,  a  brother-in-law  of  Horace  Greeley,  Han- 
son S.  Currier,  Mr.  Hibbard,  and  Thomas  Hamilton. 
In  1845  the  Ryan  school  took  the  scholars.  Mr.  Gree- 
ley, a  nephew  of  the  great  Horace,  was  the  first  teacher. 
Then  Fanny  Tenney,  Melinda  Brayton,  Oscar  Bush, 
Julia  Fuller,  Phebe  Darnell,  Hattie  Ryan  and  sister, 
Benj.  Darnell,  Emma  Wheeler,  Mary  Walrath,  Mr. 
Crawford,  Richard  Macomber,  and  Libbie  Smith.  This 
school  ran  until  the  opening  of  the  Piano  Academy,  in 
1855.     In  1838 

A  JURY  TRIAL 

in  a  claim  case  was  held  before  Judge  Helm,  in  the  Hid- 
dleson  school  house.  The  Judge  in  coming  there  on 
horseback  was  mired  in  one  of  the  sloughs  that  used  to 
flourish  in  the  shadow  of  that  creek  with  the  Scotch 
name,  and  in  his  wrath  he  gave  the  place  the  curious 
cognomen  of  "  Busselburg,"  by  which  it  was  known  for 
years.  After  the  trial  the  jury  were  locked  in  the  school 
house ;  but  while  the  court  was  telling  stories  in  front, 
they  adjourned  through  a  side  window  to  Hiddleson's 
cabin  and  had  supper,  and  when  the  constable  went  to 
inspect  his  charge  he  was  astonished  from  head  to  foot, 
a  capite  ad  calcem^  to  find  them  flown.  But  it  was  not 
long  before  he  found  them,  and  they  found  a  verdict, 
and  all  was  well. 

On  the  eastern  side  of  the  county,  George  B.  Martin, 
James  McAuley,  S.  A.  Ovitt,  and  Decoliah  Toal  were 
new  settlers.  The  latter  opened  a  tavern  in  Oswego. 
The  former  built  the  first  frame  house  in  Na-au-say,  get- 


SCHOOLS  ABOUT  PLATTVILLE.         201 

ting  the  timber  out  of  the  grove  himself.  It  is  on  the 
Henry  A.  Clarke  estate. 

About  Plattville  the  neighbors  turned  out,  hauled  logs 
and  rived  oak  shingles,  and  built  a  school  house  on  the 
town  line  between  Lisbon  and  Newark.  Miss  Mary 
Titsworth  was  one  of  the  first  teachers.  Afterwards, 
Miss  Davis,  Miss  Cole,  Mr.  Truax,  George  T.  Norton, 
Lydia  Keith,  Susan  Langdon,  Wm.  R.  Cody,  Washing- 
ton Bushnell,  Lucius  Whitney,  Geo.  A.  Day,  Catherine 
Chapin,  and  Electa  Lewis.  The  locality  was  called  ''AVis- 
consin"  by  the  Lisbon  people,  because  it  was  the  State 
north  of  them,  and  is  now  the  "  Fourth  Ward."  Sim- 
eon Stevens  kept  a  blacksmith  shop  across  the  road, 
where  the  present  school  house  stands.  The  latter  was 
built  in  1857.  The  old  one  was  on  Reuben  Hurd's 
land,  and  is  now  owned  by  S.  K.  Avery  and  occupied 
as  a  tenant  house. 

New  settlers  in  the  town  were  J.  F.  Moore,  James 
Convis,  Eli  H.  Webster,  Galen  Barstow,  and  George  T. 
Norton.  Mr.  Norton  this  season  taught  the  first  school 
in  the  new  frame  school  house  in 

LISBON   VILLAGE, 

the  latter  having  just  been  laid  out  by  Lancellot  Rood, 
as  surveyor.  Mr.  Norton  was  followed  by  Mr.  Stone, 
a  son-in-law  of  Mrs.  Sears,  Mr.  Andrus,  Charlotte 
Bushnell,  and  Mrs.  Miles  Hills,  of  Minneapolis.  The 
old  house  is  now  Parker's  wagon  shop. 

The  Lisbon  Congregational  church  was  organized 
March  22d,  with  twenty-two  members  besides  the  pas- 
tor, as  follows  :  Rensselaer  Carpenter,  Eben  and  Stella 
Hills,  Levi  and  Sarah  Hills,  John,  Elizar,  Calista,  Mar- 

14 


202  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

tha  and  Eraeline  Moore,  Charity  Field,  William  Rich- 
ardson, Calvin,  Polly  and  Sarah  Bushnell,  Janette  Wil- 
cox, Eri  L.,  John  E.  and  Lydia  Waterman,  Maria 
Sears,  William  Harrison,  Lewis  and  J.  Allen  Sherrill. 
Rev.  Calvin  Bushnell  was  the  first  pastor.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  H.  S.  Colton,  Alvah  Day  (who  remained  nine 
years),  Israel  Matteson,  Daniel  R.  Miller,  William 
Bridgeman,  L.  B.  Lane,  Charles  Pratt,  L^riah  Small, 
Edwin  Lewis,  Mr.  Curtis,  and  H.  L.  Howard.  The  meet- 
ing house  was  built  in  1853. 

The  stage  line  in  1838  changed  hands  from  Dr.  Tem- 
ple to  Trowbridge,  and  soon  after  it  was  bought  by  the 
ubiquitous  Frink  and  Walker.  There  was  an  up  stage 
and  a  down  stage  each  day,  and  occasional  extras.  Thus 
quite 

A  CHANGE 

had  taken  place  since  seven  years  before,  when  Chicago 
was  the  nearest  postoffice,  and  not  even  an  Indian  mak- 
ing a  fortnightly  trip  on  horseback  to  carry  the  scatter- 
ing mail.  If  the  panic  of  '37  had  not  come  the  coun- 
try would  soon  have  filled  up,  but  from  that  date  actual 
settlers  had  been  fewer.  The  groves  were  nearly  all 
surrounded  with  a  cordon  of  farms,  but  the  prairies  as 
yet  bloomed  virtually  unbroken.  A  traveler  over  the 
country  to-day  can  have  little  idea  of  its  appearance 
forty  years  ago,  especially  in  summer  time.  The  prai- 
ries waved  with  grass  and  were  spangled  with  flowers  of 
all  hues — yellow  predominating  ;  and  the  views  extended 
for  miles,  as  there  were  no  fences,  houses  or  shade  trees 
to  break  the  vision.  The  groves  were  full  of  under- 
brush and  berries  and  dense  with  shade,  while  the  tallest 


PRAIRIE    AND    TIMBER    IN    '39.  203 

trees  along  the  edges  became  well   known  way-marks  by 
which  the  traveler  directed  his  course.      The   far   away 
tree   tops,   on  the  opposite   horizon   from  each  settler's 
cabin,  became  as  well  known  to  him  as  the  stakes  of  the 
rail  fence  around  his  door-yard.      Wild   fruits  and  wild 
game  were  equally   plenty.       Groups   of  deer  browsed 
alonor  the  water  courses,  or   stood   wonderinsrlv  on  the 
edges  of  the  groves,  gazing  at  the  smoke  from  the  white 
man's  cabin,  or  at  the  oxen  as  they  drew  the  old  wooden 
plow  or  the  V  harrow  across  the  field,  and  perhaps   in 
their  poor  way  (i.  e.,  the  deer)  trying  to  comprehend  the 
change  that  was  coming  over  their  land.     Prairie  chick- 
ens  in  abundance  made  love  on   the  grassy  knolls  in 
the  spring,  and  fattened  in  the  fall,  and  as  there  were 
no  game  laws,  they  were  shot  and  snared   by  scores. 
Quails  were  not  the  feeble  remnant   that  divide  up  in 
pairs  now-a-days,  but  they  went  in  flocks,  and  were  as 
abundant  as  the  hazel  thickets  they  hid  in.       Wild   tur- 
keys gobbled  in  the  thicker  woods,  but  were  harder  to 
catch.     Badgers  burrowed  in  the  sand  banks,  and  prai- 
rie wolves  howled  half  the  night,  and  skulked  cross  lots 
in  the  morning,  trotting  slowly  along  and  stopping  and 
turning  around  occasionally  as  if  they  were  as  innocent 
as  the  dew  drops  under  their  feet,  and  had  both  taste 
and  time  to  enjoy  the  top  of  the  morning,  before  the  sun 
was  up.       Snakes  were   numerous,  and  along  the  tim- 
bered sloughs  the  passer-by  was  now  and   then   startled 
by  the  whirr  of  the  coiled  rattlesnake.     But  both  pleas- 
ures and  annoyances  of  the  pioneer   class  have  gone  to 
return  no  more.      The  prairie  is   cut  up  with  roads  as 
regularly  laid  as  the  streets  of  a  city  ;  the  view  is  brok- 


204 


HISTORY    OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 


en  by  shade  trees  ;  the  forlorn  badger  has  gone  west, 
and  the  bank  where  he  burrowed  is  planted  to  corn  ; 
wild  fruit  must  be  sought  in  the  orchard,  and  game  can 
grow  only  half  as  fast  as  it  is  wanted,  and  is  protected 
by  law  ;  the  groves  are  honey-combed  by  clearings,  and 
the  tall  beacon  trees  have  been  made  into  posts.  All  is 
changed — and  it  is  a  change  for  the  better. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


THE  LAND  SALE. 


HE  FIRST  shipment  of  wheat  from 
Chicago  was  made  in  the  year  1839. 
Sixteen  thousand  bushels  were  collected 
and  sent  around  the  lakes  by  schooner. 
This  was  also  the  year  of  the  organ- 
ization of  our  neighbor  county  of  Du- 
Page,  w^hich  was  at  first  proposed  to  be  called  Michigan 
county. 

There  was  a  mail  route  from  Lisbon  to 

NEWARK, 

conducted  by  Mr.  Giesler,  who  went  a-foot  and  carried 
the  mail  on  his  back.  He  lived  in  the  house  now  occu- 
pied by  Pease  Barnard  on  Asa  Manchester's  land.  Man- 
chester came  in  that  season   from  Oswego  county,  New 


IMPROVEMENTS   IN   PLOWS.  205 

York  ;  also  A.  P.  Southwick,  from  Clinton  county,  New 
York,  and  Nelson  D.  Sweetland,  M.  D.,  father  of  our 
State's  Attorney,  from  Cayuga  county,  New  York  ;  Ly- 
man Smith,  William  Lutyen  and  Cornelius  Courtright 
came  together  from  Luzerne  county  Pennsylvania.  Smith 
and  Lutyen  bought  the  Barnet  building  in  Newark  and 
kept  tavern  for  some  time.  Smith  died  after  being  here 
eight  years.  The  Lutyen  family  are  Lyman  and  Clifford, 
of  Pontiac,  and  Mrs.  George  AVatson,  Mrs.  D.  A.  Munger 
and  Mrs.  Wm:  Wunder,  of  Newark.  Elmer  Mallory  set- 
tled above  where  S.  C.  Sleezer  now  lives.  The  Edgerton 
school  house  was  built  in  Gilbert  Edgerton's  yard,  and 
the  same  frame  is  still  used.  It  is  better  known  as  the 
"  Fern  Dell"  district.  Early  teachers  were  Miss  Long- 
head, Miss  Day,  Abram  Wing,  Alonzo  Hallock,  and  Ar- 
villa  Brown. 

Christopher  Misner  was  among  the  new  comers  at 
Millington,  and  was  in  time  to  help  his  brother  Fletcher 
dedicate  his  new  house,  which  is  his  residence  still. 
It  was  the  third  house  in  the  place — the  other  two  being 
Jackson's,  and  the  house  of  Jefferson  Tubbs,  the  sawver 
at  the  mill.     Mr.  Misner,  that  season,  got  a  lot  of 

CAST  IRON  MOULDBOARDS 

from  Ohio,  which  were  heralded  as  a  great  improvement 
over  the  old  wooden  mouldboard  with  wrought  iron  shear. 
They  were  shipped  by  river  to  Utica,  and  brought  up 
by  team.  They  took  well  and  did  good  work,  but  the  next 
spring  they  would  not  scour  at  all,  and  were  discarded 
as  a  failure.  Three  years  afterward  Mr.  Misner  made 
the  first  wrought  iron  scouring  plow,  from  patterns  ob- 
tained at  Chicago.     They  were  soon  after  made  by  Whit- 


206  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

beck,  at  Chicago ;  Jones,  at  Naperville ;  McCollum,  at 
Aurora;  and  at  Elgin,  Lockport  and  other  points.  The 
steel  mouldboards  at  present  in  use  did  not  come  in  until 
1850. 

New  comers  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  were 
Jedidiah  Lincoln,  Hiram  Brown,  Paul  Colburn,  L.  B. 
Bartlett,  and  A.  J.  Hunter. 

IN  OSWEGO, 

Col.  William  Cowdrey,  New  York;  Daniel  Cooney, 
Pennsylvania ;  A.  B.  Smith,  Ohio  ;  Walter  Loucks, 
Montgomery  county.  New  York.  The  Wormley  school 
house  was  built  of  two  inch  plank  set  up  endways  and 
pinned  to  the  sills.  School  had  previously  been  held  at 
Mr.  Devoe's  house,  near  the  great  spring  (the  largest 
spring  in  the  county).  Miss  Susan  Townsend,  now  Mrs. 
Lehman,  taught.  Then  it  was  held  in  John  Wormley's 
granary,  and  was  taught  by  Elizabeth  VanVliet,  and 
Dorcas  and  Adeline  Hopkins.  And  in  the  school  house, 
Maria  Miller,  Augusta  Fletcher,  Charlotte  A.  Crandall, 
Norman  Sexton,  Lyman  G.  Bennett,  John  Tobey,  Clia 
Landerson,  Virginia  Hoyt,  James  Hughes,  Clara  War- 
ner, George  Kellogg,  and  George  Robinson. 

The  graveyard  there  is  called  the  "  Wormley  Ceme- 
tery." The  first  one  buried  in  it  was  John  Wormley, 
in  1836,  son  of  William  Wormley. 

IN    BRISTOL, 

Horace  Barnes,  Owen  Kennedy,  Mr.  Clapp,  Thomas 
Penman,  Lyman  Childs,  Robert  Hopkins  and  Thomas 
McMurtrie.  The  latter  was  from  Scotland,  and  opened 
the  first  blacksmith  shop  in  the  town,  on  a  lot  given  for 
the  purpose  by  Lyman  Bristol. 


MORE    SETTLERS    AT    BRISTOL.  207 

Mr.  M.  says  :  "I  had  the  ague  almost  constantly  for 
the  first  year,  and  as  I  could  get  no  quinine  I  was 
obliged  to  hunt  up  weeds  and  barks,  which  helped  me 
but  did  not  cure.  But  after  a  year  it  wore  off."  But 
in  the  case  of  many  of  the  settlers  it  did  not  wear  off  so 
soon.  Mr.  Clapp  ran  the  saw  mill  for  Mr.  Bristol,  and 
was  afterward  killed  by  the  logs  rolling  on  him.  One 
log  was  moved,  and  the  rest,  being  on  a  side  hill,  started, 
and  there  was  not  time  to  escape.  The  old  corn  mill 
was  also  run,  but  was  not  so  mnch  patronized  as  other 
mills  were  near  by.  Clapp's  log  house  stood  near  the 
site  of  Mr.  Lane's  barn.  There  was  a  ford  across  the 
creek,  over  the  river  at  the  same  point,  coming  out  on 
the  south  side  near  Mr.  Graham's.  Besides  the  build- 
ings mentioned  there  were  the  dwellings  of  Godard, 
Wheeler  and  McMurtrie,  in  a  line  on  the  hill,  and  H.  S. 
Colton's,  opposite  Wheeler's.  Colton's  was  afterwards 
bought  by  E.  S.  L.  Richardson  and  cousin  for  a  store. 
It  is  now  Dr.  Bedding's  residence.  The  west  side  of  the 
village  was  heavily  timbered,  so  far  east  as  the  middle  of 
the  public  square,  at  which  point  the  clay  soil  changed 
to  black  loam,  showing  that  the  prairie  and  the  wood 
had  kept  their  relative  positions  for  a  very  long  time. 

Calhoun  and  Innis  Grant  came  to  Lisbon,  Ephraim 
Bronk  and  G.  W.  and  E.  Cooney  to  Na-au-say,  and  J. 
P.  VanCleve  and  Jacob  Patrick  to  Seward.  The  latter 
bought  of  Henry  Case  Stevens  the  tavern  started  by 
Aianson  Milks,  and  afterwards  known  as  the  "Patrick 
Stand."  It  was  known  in  '39  as  the  "  Wolf  tavern,'* 
as  Mr.  Stevens  had  a  stuffed  prairie  wolf  for  his  sign. 
Some  years  afterwards  Norman   Grey   kept   it.      Mrs. 


208  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Grey  was  a  renowned  housekeeper,  and  her  cooking  was 
famous  all  along  the  line.  It  was  on  the  stage  route 
from  Joliet,  and  Frink  and  Walker  had  stables  there  for 
their  horses,  and  a  number  of  houses  and  farms.  There 
was  an  up  stage  and  a  down  stage  every  day,  besides 
frequent  extras,  and  an  immense  amount  of  travel. 
One  day  when  there  had  been  a  break  down,  seventy- 
five  passengers  and  employes  were  gathered  at  the  tavern 
for  dinner.  The  stage  drivers  got  $12.50  a  month  and 
board. 

A  cemetery  was  opened  on  Frink  and  Walker's  land, 
in  the  field  south  of  the  present  school  house,  and  many 
were  buried  there,  but  it  has  since  been  abandoned. 
Several  of  the  bodies  were  removed  to  the  new  cemetery 
near  the  Ware  school  house  when  that  was  opened  in  1857. 

THE    LAND    SALE. 

The  last  event  of  public  importance  in  1830  was  the 
cominjx  of  the  land  in  the  market  in  November.  It  was 
a  time  of  much  stir  and  excitement,  for  it  was  now  or 
never  with  every  settler  who  wished  to  retain  his  land — 
with  the  exception  of  those  who  had  bought  Seminary 
lands  or  Indian  reservations.  Money  was  extremely 
hard  to  get,  as  the  times  had  not  improved  since  the 
crash  of  two  years  before,  and  the  two  hundred  dollars 
with  which  to  pay  for  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  WHS  harder  to  raise  than  one  thousand  dollars  would 
be  now.  Many  a  poor  man  for  the  sake  of  his  little 
farm,  the  only  source  of  his  family's  bread,  was  obliged 
to  make  such  extreme  sacrifices  as  perhaps  none  of  the 
later  generation  have  ever  known.  Speculators  too, 
like  birds  of  prey,  were  eagerly    watching   for  opportu- 


LAND    SALE   OF    '39.  209 

nities  to  pick  up  improved  farms  at  government  prices 
and  re-sell  them  to  the  owners  at  a  large  advance,  or 
turn  them  out  of  their  homes.  It  was  to  guard  against 
those  pitiless  enemies  that  the  settlers  in  each  locality 
clubbed  together,  promising  to  stand  by  each  other  and 
see  that  each  had  his  proper  rights.  The  first  thing 
before  going  to  the  land,  office  was  to  settle  every  diffi- 
culty and  to  agree  on  what  portion  of  land  each  would 
enter.  Then  a  plat  of  the  lands  was  made  out  and  put 
into  the  hands  of  a  competent  person  who  was  to  bid 
them  off  and  pay  over  the  money — for  the  government 
did  only  a  cash  business.  Almon  Ives  was  the  chosen 
bidder  for  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  and  Lancellot 
Rood  for  the  western  part.  Each  of  them  loaded  a 
strong  box  full  of  silver  on  a  wagon,  and  with  a  picked 
squad  of  men  for  guard,  toiled  through  the  sloughs  to 
Chicago.  The  bidding  had  formerly  been  done  in  the 
open  air,  on  a  vacant  lot,  corner  of  Clark  and  Randolph 
streets.  But  so  soft  was  the  ground  that  as  the  crowd 
increased  it  actually  sank,  and  they  removed  to  the  lake 
shore,  and  then  into  a  building.  One  man  stood  at  the 
foot  of  the  stairs  with  a  stout  cane,  and  another  at  the 
top,  and  sometimes  other  guards  between,  and  no  one 
was  allowed  to  pass  except  on  legitimate  business.  ."  Can 
I  pass  up?"  a  sleek  looking  stranger  would  say.  ''Yes," 
was  the  reply,  "but  if  you  bid  you  will  take  the  conse- 
quences." And  generally  he  concluded  not  to  run  the 
risk.  If  occasionally  a  tract  of  land  was  knocked  down 
to  a  wrong  bidder  he  was  prevented  from  going  up  with 
his  money  until  after  such  a  lapse  of  time  that  the  sale 
was  void.     When  all  were  done  the  authorized  bidders 


210  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

gave  the  lands  over  to  their  constituents  according  to 
the  original  plat,  and  they  in  turn  re-deeded  to  each 
other  to  conform  their  farms  to  the  new  survey  lines. 
Those  re-deeds  are  the  earliest  entries  on  the  Records  in 
the  Recorder's  ofl&ce.  The  first  date  after  the  land  sale 
is  March  4th,  1840. 

On  that  day  Elisha  Morgan,  Joseph  Matlock  and  Wil- 
liam Harris  each  deeded  to  Almon  Ives  small  portions 
to  straighten  their  boundaries.  Occasionally  a  settler 
was  found  who  would  not  keep  to  the  agreement,  and 
refused  to  re-deed  to  his  neighbor,  in  which  case  the 
other  neighbors,  sometimes  from  miles  around,  turned 
out,  and  Mr.  Recalcitrant  w^as  obliged  to  come  to  terms. 
A  case  is  mentioned  further  alono-  in  this  work. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


THE  UNDERGROUND  RAILWAY. 


^MONG  the  settlers  of  1840  were  J.  S.  Bib- 
bins,  Dr.  Temple,  and  Dr.  D.  B.  Jewell,  to 
Big  Grove  ;  Elisha  and  Elijah  Misner,  to 
Fox ;  Truman  D.  Austin,  to  Na-au-say ; 
Elisha  Hills,  to  Lisbon  ;  Josiah  Ferris,  Wil- 
liam Hoze.  Thomas  and  Harrison  M.  Smith, 
to  Oswego ;  Henry  Cryder,  William  Bry- 
ant and  J.  F.  Beane,  to  Seward ;  Henry  Abby,  Peleg 
Jones,  J.  T.  West,  Enos  Ives,  Rev.  Mr.  Woolson,  Free 
man  Gifford,  and  Edward  Hall,  to  Little  Rock  ;  Reuben 
Hunt,  Samuel  Roberts,  Mr.  O'Brien,  W.  0.  Parker, 
William  Briggs,  Mr.  Fishell,  Curtis  Beecher,  C.  W.  Da- 
vis, Edward  S.  L.  Richardson,  Wesley  W.  Winn,  Jonas 
Borton,  and  others,  to  Bristol  and  Oswego.  Mr.  Winn 
was  our  county  surveyor  several  years. 

Reuben  Hunt  settled  next  to  Lyman  S.  Knox,  and  his 
was  the  first  house  on  tlie  site  of  Bristol  Station.  Mr. 
Parker  built  a  stone  store  at  Oswego,  and  did  a  large 
business  for  several  years.  Nathaniel  Rising  owned  the 
mill.  A  Methodist  class  was  organized  in  Lisbon,  by 
Rev.  E.  Springer.  The  members  were  Solomon  Wells 
and  wife,  Jervis  Moore  and  wife,  James  F.  Moore  and 


212  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

Anion  Heacox.  No  other  religious  movements  marked 
the  year.  Settlers  were  slow  in  coming  in.  and  improve- 
ments and  changes  were  few.  The  prairie  grass  grew  a 
foot  high  in  the  village  streets.  Between  Holderman's 
and  Marseilles  there  was  not  a  single  house.  Between 
Oswego  and  Plainfield  there  were  but  two  houses. 

1840  WAS  SIGNALIZED 

by  the  birth  of  the  famous  whig  party,  in  opposition  to 
the  Andrew  Jackson  party.  Also  by  the  coming  in  of 
the  Mormons  from  Missouri.  They  built  Nauvoo,  in 
Hancock  county,  and  after  seven  years  of  bitter  strife 
and  much  bloodshed,  emigrated  to  Utah.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  United  States  that  year  was  seventeen  mil- 
lion, and  it  was  the  last  census  in  which  negro  slaves 
were  returned  as  owned  and  worked  in  Illinois.  Con- 
siderable interest  was  created  over  the  question  of  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  State.  The  boundary  line 
for  some  other  States  had  been  paralleled  with  the  south- 
ern end  of  lake  Michigan,  but  when  Illinois  was  organ- 
ized, the  boundary  line  commenced  "  at  a  point  on  lake 
Michigan  in  latitude  42  degrees,  38  minutes  north."  In 
consequence,  in  the  early  part  of  1840,  Gov.  Doty,  of 
Wisconsin,  agitated  the  question  of  claiming  the  north- 
ern counties  of  Illinois,  and  attaching  them  to  Wiscon- 
sin, and  several  mass  meetings  were  held  by  his  friends 
in  those  counties.     But  the  plan  fell  through. 

The  year  was  ushered  in  by  one  of  the  largest  spring 
freshets  known.  Fox  River  flooded  all  the  lowlands 
along  its  course,  and  at  Millington  two  acres  of  splen- 
did logs  were  carried  away.  Only  two  such  freshets 
have  been  known  since,  in  1857  and  1868.     But  the  last 


MURPHY    ON    THE    HARD    TIMES.  213 

two  have  had  bridges  instead  of  saw  logs  to  exert  their 
brief  power  on. 

By  the  census  of  1840  there  were  in  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois four  thousand  negroes,  of  whom  one  hundred  and 
sixty  were  slaves  :  not  all  confined  to  the  southern  end 
of  the  State,  either,  for  there  were  four  slaves  in  Lake 
county  and  one  in  Kane  county.  The  population  of  La- 
Salle  county  was  ten  thousand,  but  the  men  outnum- 
bered the  women  five  to  three.  Kane  county,  with 
six  thousand  seven  hundred,  was  more  evenly  divided. 
The  internal  improvement  system  had  been  abandoned, 
with  the  exception  of  work  on  the  canal,  and  this  year 
$147,000  was  paid  by  the  State  as  damages  to  contractors 
for  cancelling  their  contracts  on  eight  railroads  and  three 
river  improvements.  Times  were  very  close,  and  the 
miserable  wild  cat  currency  of  that  day  tended  to  make 
them  more  so.     Mr.  Murphy,  of  Cook  county,  in 

A  REPORT 
on  the  suspension  of  specie  payments,  made  to  the  Leg- 
islature, said: 

"  Instability  pervades  every  department  of  business. 
The  value  of  property  fluctuates,  not  according  to  the 
regular  laws  of  trade,  and  all  kinds  of  business  seem  to 
be  regarded  as  a  species  of  lottery.  The  banks  have 
made  more  issues  of  paper  than  they  have  specie  or 
means  to  meet.  They  cannot  pay  three  dollars  with  one 
by  any  legerdemain  of  the  counter  or  till.  During  the 
expansion  of  the  currency,  property  rises ;  during  con- 
traction it  falls,  thus  giving  the  banks  a  glorious  oppor- 
tunity of  making  fortunes  from  the  public.  They  can 
make  property  dear  or  cheap.     They  can  create  a  fam- 


214  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

ine  in  Israel  and  have  corn  in  Egypt  to  allay  it,  but  will 
take  care  to  sell  the  corn  at  their  own  prices.  Our  paper 
circulation  in  1837  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  millions, 
but  a  single  fiat  from  Threadneedle  street,  in  London, 
demolished  the  fabric  and  exhibited  to  the  astonished 
gaze  of  American  freemen  the  whole  array  of  banks  sus- 
pended or  bankrupt  and  the  whole  people  ruined.  Fail- 
ures abounded,  commerce  was  crippled,  manufactures 
suspended,  wages  reduced,  multitudes  out  of  employment, 
values  diminished,  debts  increased,  and  the  barriers  of 
commercial  honestj  destroyed.  The  depreciated  paper 
was  bought  up  by  the  banks  at  ruinous  discounts.  Such 
is  but  a  faint  outline  of  the  effects  produced  by  our  banks 
during  the  late  suspension. 

All  are  but  parts  of  a  stupendous  whole, 
Whose  body  is  avarice,  without  a  soul." 

The  people,  however,  as  they  generally  do,  held  the 
administration  as  responsible  for  the  distress,  and 

THE    PRESIDENTIAL    CAMPAIGN 

was  a  most  exciting  one. 

Gen.  Harrison  was  the  Whig  candidate,  and  as  he 
lived  in  the  West,  the  log  cabin  and  the  hard  cider  barrel 
became  the  symbols  of  his  party.  Many  a  drunkard 
dated  his  downward  course  from  the  "hard  cider  cam- 
paign" of  1840.  Horace  Greeley,  then  a  rising  young 
man,  published  a  campaign  paper,  called  the  '•  Log 
Cabin,"  and  it  had  an  immense  circulation.  Songs  were 
multiplied  about  "  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler,  too."  They 
were  elected  by  heavy  majorities  ;  but  Harrison  died  one 
month  after  his  inausruration,  and  to  the  dissjust  of  the 
Whigs,  Tyler  forsook  the  policy  of  his  party. 


SLAVERY    AND    ABOLITIONISM.  215 

The  county  celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July  was  held 
in  1840  at  Newark.  The  appointed  speaker  did  not 
come,  and  Rev.  H.  S.  Colton  was  called  on,  and  in  the 
course  of  his  impromptu  remarks  referred  to  slavery. 
At  once  there  was  a  tumult,  and  jeering  cries  were  flung 
at  the  speaker  from  every  side.  James  Southworth  was 
chairman  of  the  day — a  staunch  abolitionist  himself — 
but  he  was  obliged  to  interrupt  the  speaker,  telling  him 
that  for  the  sake  of  peace  they  had  made  an  agreement 
among  themselves  not  to  agitate  the  subject.  Bui  Col- 
ton could  not  repress  his  convictions,  or  amplify  on  the 
gloriousness  of  our  national  freedom — with  the  freedom 
left  out — so  he  left  off"  his  speech  in  the  middle.  The 
very  name  of  slavery  or  of 

ABOLITIONISM 
in  those  days  was  enough  to  set  any  ordinary  crowd  on 
fire,  and  strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  great  majority  of 
the  people  even  here  in  our  own  Kendall,  as  well  as 
throughout  the  West,  were  so  conservative  in  sentiment 
as  to  be  virtually  pro-slavery.  An  avowed  abolitionist 
was  despised,  and  even  hated ;  but  they  were  not  want- 
ing, nevertheless.  The  blood  of  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  like 
the  blood  of  John  Brown  since  and  William  Morgan 
before,  was  prolific  of  champions  of  the  faith  for  which 
blood  had  been  shed.  The  underground  rail  road,  so 
called  because  of  the  secresy  with  which  runaway  slaves 
traveled  over  it,  had  stations  and  helpers  in  almost  every 
village.  Among  the  helpers  were  W.  H.  and  William 
Lewis,  Mr.  Hallock,  George  Barnard,  Abel  Gleason, 
Zenas  McEwen,  Levi  and  Eben  Hills,  Ole  Oleson,  Ed- 
ward Wright,  H.   S.    Colton,  B.   F.  Alden,  Dr.   Calvin 


216  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY. 

Wheeler,  and  others.  In  the  northern  part  of  the 
county  the  route  lay  through  Little  Rock,  generally  put- 
ting up  at  Dr.  Buck's.  Reuben  Johnson,  at  Jericho, 
kept  the  next  station  east,  and  Mr.  Beveridge,  fjither  of 
the  Governor,  the  next  station  west.  The  latter  had  his 
barn  burned  in  consequence.  Like  many  other  barns  it 
had  probably  secreted  more  than  one  fleeing  negro,  and 
if  that  was  a  crime  against  God  and  humanity  then  the 
hated  old  frame  was  righteously  consumed.  But  the 
anti-slavery  feeling  grew  so  rapidly  in  the  years  that 
followed,  that  Owen  Lovejoy,  that  fearless  champion  of 
human  liberty,  who,  when  he  first  ran  for  Congress, 
received  only  250  votes,  was  afterwards  elected  by 
10,000  majority  from  the  same  Congressional  District. 

INCIDENTS. 

Peter  Stewart,  of  Wilmington,  kept  a  famous  depot, 
and  was  indicted  on  complaint  of  a  neighbor  before  a 
grand  jur^'  at  Joliet.  Soon  after  a  party  of  seven  negroes 
came  along,  and  Mr.  Stewart,  taking  them  in  his  wagon 
on  his  way  to  Chicago,  called  on  his  neighbor  and  intro- 
duced his  passengers  as  southern  planters  going  north 
for  their  health.  The  other  was  so  taken  back  by  Stew- 
art's boldness,  and  so  astonished  at  the  increase  of  the 
business  under  persecution,  that  when  afterward  by  the 
help  of  friendly  lawyers  the  indictment  was  quashed, 
he  did  not  try  it  again. 

Sometimes,  however,  by  the  force  of  circumstances, 
the  opposition  of  those  unfriendly  neighbors  was  broken 
down.  They  had  hearts  as  well  as  others,  and  their 
feelings  of  humanity  were  occasionally  too  much  for 
them.     Once  to  a  conservative  man's  house   came  three 


HELPING    FUGITIVE    SLAVES.  217 

fugitives,  black  as  three  coals.  They  told  their  hard- 
ships, and  their  fears,  and  their  hopes,  and  trusted  that 
he  was  a  friend.  He  was  not,  but  in  their  presence  he 
speedily  became  so,  for  his  politics  entirely  gave  way. 
His  theory  was  straight,  but  his  kinship  for  mankind 
was  strongest.  He  fed  and  lodged  them,  and  with  his 
benediction  sent  them  on  their  way.  A  similar  experi- 
ence happened  to  old  'Squire  Walker,  of  Plainfield.  He 
was  a  strong  opposer  of  the  abolitionists,  and  often 
declared  that  helping  slaves  to  their  freedom  was  no  bet- 
ter than  horse  stealing.  But  on  one  occasion  a  fugitive 
came  to  his  house.  The  poor  runaway  was  breathless 
with  hurry  and  fear,  and  begged  with  broken  entreaty 
for  assistance  in  his  extremity.  Here  was  a  sharp- 
horned  dilemma  for  the  'Squire.  How  could  he  repu- 
diate his  own  creed  ?  He  was  a  law  abiding  citizen,  and 
it  was  his  legal  duty  to  send  back  the  fugitive.  He  was 
a  democrat,  and  it  was  his  political  duty.  He  was  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  it  was  his  official  duty.  He 
had  been  loud  in  his  protestations  against  the  "  railway," 
and  it  was  his  personal  and  consistent  duty.  But  there 
was  the  trembling  black  man,  and  to  that  argument  the 
'Squire  yielded,  fed  him  and  sent  him  on.  In  a  little 
while  the  pursuer  came,  but  strangely  enough  could  get 
no  satisfaction.  The  slave  had  been  there,  that  was 
known,  but  where  he  had  gone  no  one  seemed  inclined 
to  tell.  The  slave  catcher  urged,  and  at  last  the  other 
openly  slaughtered  his  principles  and  declared :  "  I'll 
have  nothing  to  do  in  the  matter,  it's  between  you  and 
your  God  and  the  nigger." 

One  of  the  leading  "  directors"  in  Chicago  was  Dr. 

15 


218  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Dyer,  a  brother  of  George  Dyer  of  Joliet.  He  was  a 
bold,  fearless  man,  and  did  efficient  service  in  the  cause. 
He  was  acquainted  with  the  friends  in  the  city,  so  when 
the  trains  arrived,  viz  :  farmers  with  loads  of  wheat  or 
pork,  and  a  fugitive  aboard,  they  reported  to  him  and 
he  found  safe  lodging  places  for  the  living  freight.  At 
one  time  the  slave  hunters  captured  their  game,  a  colored 
man,  and  locked  him  in  a  room  guarded  by  a  sentinel, 
while  they  were  obtaining  the  necessary  papers  to  legal- 
ize them  in  taking  him  away. 

Dr.  Dyer  heard  the  news  and  hurried  to  the  spot. 

"  Who's  there?"  the  inside  sentinel  asked  in  response 
to  the  loud  thumping  of  the  Doctor's  cane  on  the  door. 

"  I  am  Dr.  Dyer,"  was  the  reply,  "  and  I  want  to 
come  in." 

"I  have  orders  to  admit  no  one,"  the  sentinel 
answered,  "and  you  cannot  enter." 

"  Then  down  comes  the  door." 

"  I'll  shoot  you  if  you  attempt  it." 

But  the  Doctor  had  come  for  a  purpose,  and  smash 
went  the  door. 

"  Come  out  of  this  !"  said  he  to  the  frightened  fugi- 
tive in  a  tone  of  authority,  "  and  take  care  of  yourself 
quick." 

The  fugitive  came  out  and  was  not  long  in  sight,  and 
the  over-awed  sentinel,  with  curses,  saw  the  Doctor  walk 
unharmed  away. 

Afterward,  a  southern  planter,  who  was  in  Chicago, 
hearing  the  story,  so  admired  the  Doctor's  bravery  that 
he  presented  him  with  a  gold-headed  cane  in  commemo- 


NEW    SCHOOL    IN    OSWEGO. 


219 


ration  of  the  event,  which  cane  was  for  years  his  insep- 
arable companion  in  his  walks  about  the  city. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 


OUR  county's  birth. 


SOMETIME  about  1840  the  Oswego  schol- 
ars gathered  in  a  new  school  house  near 
the  site  of  Oliver  Hibbard's  shop,  where 
school  was  afterwards  kept  for  eight  or 
ten  years.  Mr.  Tarr,  Mr.  Thornton, 
C.  G.  Martin,  Norman  Sexton,  Frank 
Cables,  Miss  L.  Swartout,  and  Julia 
Applebee  were  among  the  teachers.  In  1850  the  stone 
school  house  was  opened,  with  Chester  Hammond  as  the 
first  teacher.  After  him  came  the  following  principals  : 
E.  N.  Lewis,  H.  H.  Haff,  James  Allison,  Albert  Snooks, 
John  McKinney,  Warren  Wilkie,  Philander  Brown, 
0.  S.  Wescott,  J.  H.  Gano,  Mr.  Pearsall,  Edward  and 
E.  P.  Whiting,  F.  H.  Metcalf,  J.  Thorp,  Daniel  Yoor- 
hees,  D.  H.  Taylor,  L.  Van  Fossen,  J.  E.  Brown,  Milo 
L.  Mason,  and  C.  C.  Duffy.  The  following  names  of 
primary  teachers,  also  are  especially  worthy  of  being 
mentioned  :  Dorcas  Schram,  Lizzie  Moore,  Fannie  Por- 
ter, Florence  Childs,  Libbie  Murphy,  Anna  Brown, 
Amanda  Weeks,  Josie  Forbes,  Mattie  Farley,  and  Pau- 


220  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

line  Wayne.  Dorcas  Schram  has  taught  altogether  over 
fifty  terms  of  school. 

The  Piano  cemetery  was  opened  in  1840.  Oscar 
Ryan,  four  years  old,  son  of  William  Ryan,  was  the 
first  buried  in  it.  The  same  year  the  "  Sandy  Bluff" 
school,  in  the  Alonzo  Tolman  district,  Little  Rock, 
began  with  a  log  school  house.  Alonzo  Tolman,  Jean- 
nette  Leigh,  Franklin  B,  Ives,  Lucinda  Ryan,  and  Mar- 
illa  Tolman  taught  in  it. 

In  the  new  school,  built  in  1845,  Davis  Rogers  and 
Harriet  Hyde  were  the  first  teachers:  also,  Benj.  Dar- 
nell, Amaretta  Lincoln,  Ann  Sly,  John  A.  Armstrong, 
Bryant  Walker,  Enos  Ives,  and  Sarah  Matteson. 

The  Stebbins  school,  in  what  is  known  as  the  "  Ce- 
ment District,"  Little  Rock,  was  the  successor  of  the 
Young  school,  dating  from  1840.  Solomon  Stebbins 
owned  the  place  now  owned  by  L.  C.  Gorton,  and  the 
school  was  opened  in  a  log  house,  James  Teaby,  Emily 
Bean,  Carrolton  Hunt,  teachers.  It  was  succeeded  by 
the  Charles  Raymond  school,  taught  by  Anna  Lowry, 
R.  M.  Pendexter  and  Gilbert  B.  Lester.  While  the 
latter  was  teaching  the  house  burned  down,  and  he  took 
his  school  into  a  part  of  Mr.  Hunt's  house.  That  was 
in  1849,  and  the  cement  school  house  was  opened  two 
years  afterwards.  The  following  were  early  teachers : 
Mr.  Chittenden,  Mr.  Hough,  Mr.  Whitman,  Mr.  Cum- 
mings,  H.  C.  Beard,  Minnie  Todd,  Mary,  Lizzie  and 
Georgiana  Smith. 

In  1840  some  of  the  graves  in  the 

INDIAN    BURYING    GROUND 

on  the  farm  of  L.   S.   Chittenden,  in  Little  Rock,  were 


INDIAN    BURYING   GROUND.  221 

opened  by  Frederick  Rush,  who  then  owned  the  place. 
The  graves  are  in  a  row  on  the  brow  of  the  river  bluff, 
which  at  that  place  is  steep  and  high.  The  skeletons 
were  found  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  In  one 
grave  was  found  a  loaded  rifle  and  a  brass  kettle  with 
beans  in  it.  The  rifle  was  taken  to  Robert  Casler's 
blacksmith  shop  in  Yorkville,  and  being  put  into  the 
fire  in  order  to  take  it  apart,  the  charge  exploded.  The 
grave  was  probably  that  of  a  chief  or  distinguished 
warrior,  who  was  thus  provided  with  food  and  ammunition 
for  his  long  journey  to  the  spirit  land. 

EIGHTEEN    HUNDRED    AND    FORTY-ONE 

was  the  birth  year  of  Kendall.  The  matter  had  been 
privately  discussed  for  some  time,  and  during  the  pre- 
vious fall  a  petition  to  the  Legislature  was  prepared  and 
circulated  by  Mr.  Duryea  and  others.  It  received  a 
large  number  of  signatures  from  the  LaSalle  people  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  a  smaller  number  from 
the  Kane  county  people  on  the  north  side.  A  majority 
in  Kane,  however,  were  opposed  to  the  movement,  be- 
lieving their  county  not  too  large,  and  a  remonstrance 
was  circulated  among  them  and  numerously  signed,  pro- 
testing against  the  division. 

November  23rd,  1840,  the  twelfth  General  Assembly 
of  the  State  of  Illinois  convened  at  Springfield,  and  on 
January  4th,  following,  the  Kane  County  Remonstrance 
was  presented  and  read  by  Abram  R.  Dodge,  Represent- 
ative from  LaSalle  county.  It  was  referred  to  the  Com- 
mittee on  Counties,  who  decided  adversely  to  it ;  and  on 
January   16th,  the  chairman  of  the   committee,  Milton 


222  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Carpenter,  from  Hamilton,  reported  a  bill  for  ''  An  Act 
to  create 

THE    COUNTY    OF    ORANGE," 

as  the  new  county  was  proposed  to  be  called.  It  was  to 
be  eighteen  miles  square,  beginning  at  the  north-east 
corner  of  the  township  of  Oswego,  and  to  include  three 
townships  of  Kane  county  and  six  of  LaSalle.  Three 
days  afterwards,  January  19th,  the  bill  came  up  for  its 
second  reading,  the  title  only  being  read  this  time.  On 
motion  of  Ebenezer  Peck,  of  Will  county,  the  name  of 
the  county  was  changed  from  Orange  to  Kendall.  This 
was  a  political  firebrand  thrown  into  the  House,  for 
Amos  Kendall  was  an  Andrew  Jackson  man,  his  Post- 
master General,  and  Jackson  was  the  most  berated  Presi- 
dent we  ever  had.  The  amendment,  however,  was 
carried  by  a  vote  of  fifty-one  to  thirty-four.  Abraham 
Lincoln  and  Lyman  Trumbull  were  members  of  the 
House,  and  voted  in  the  affirmative.  When  the  vote  was 
announced,  Joseph  Gillespie,  of  Madison  county,  who 
voted  in  the  negative,  moved  to  further  amend  the  bill 
by  inserting  the  words  "Honest  Amos"  before  the  word 
"Kendall."  But  the  motion  was  laid  on  the  table,  and 
lies  there  yet.  The  further  progress  of  the  bill  was  as 
follows  : 

January  20th  it  was  reported  as  correctly  engrossed. 
February  1st,  the  title  was  read  the  third  time  and  the 
bill  was  passed.  February  12th,  passed  by  the  Senate. 
February  19th,  reported  as  correctly  enrolled,  and  on 
the  same  day  approved  by  the  Council  of  Revision. 

Two  other  bills  began  their  travel  at  the  same  time, 
and  kept  company  with  the  Kendall  county   bill.     One 


BOARD  OF  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS.      223 

was  to  create  Grundy  county,  the  other  was  to  promote 
the  welfare  of  our  colored  people,  by  requiring  them  to 
be  registered  at  the  circuit  clerk's  office ;  and  even  that 
did  not  secure  them  from  being  claimed  and  sold  as 
slaves.  A  board  of  commissioners,  consisting  of  John 
H.  Harris,  of  Tazewell  county,  Eli  A.  Rider,  of  Cook 
county,  and  William  E.  Armstrong,  of  LaSalle  county, 
were  appointed  to  locate  the  county  seat.  They  met  at 
Yorkville  in  June,  and  with  a  party  of  citizens  pro- 
ceeded to  several  points  in  the  county,  finally  fixing  on 
Yorkville,  as  perhaps  they  foresaw  they  should  from  the 
first.  April  5th  an  election  was  held  in  the  different 
voting  precincts,  and  J.  J.  Cole,  Levi  Hills  and  Reuben 
Hunt  were  chosen  as  the  Board  of  County  Commission- 
ers. The  following  were  members  of  the  Board  up  to  the 
abolition  of  the  office  in  1849  :  Ansel  Kimball,  L.  D. 
Brady,  Samuel  Jackson,  J.  W.  Chapman,  C.  Henning, 
S.  G.  Collins. 

The  remaining  county  officers  in  1841,  were  J.  A. 
Fenton,  County  Clerk ;  A.  B.  Smith,  Circuit  Clerk. 
Kendall  was  in  the  Ninth  Judicial  District.  Thomas 
Ford,  afterward  Governor,  was  Circuit  Judge.  Ten 
counties  were  included  in  the  circuit ;  court  time  in  Ken- 
dall being  the  fourth  Mondays  in  August  and  May. 

Eight  Justices  of  the  Peace  were  elected,  viz  :  Lance- 
lot Rood,  D.  E.  Davis,  Solomon  Wells,  Albert  Bush,  S. 
G.  Collins,  George  B.  Hollenback,  T.  L.  Broughton  and 
S.  B.  Craw.  Almon  B.  Ives  was  elected  Probate  Justice  ; 
Norman  Dodge,  Titus  Howe,  and  Royal  Bullard  after- 
wards filled  the  office  in  succession. 

'  Among  the  arrivals  that  year,  were  Nelson  Plutt,  J. 


224  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

N.  Austin,  Godfrey  Stevenson,  old  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mis- 
ner,  and  Israel  L.  Rogers.  The  latter  is  now  one  of  our 
wealthiest  farmers  :  owns  a  thousand  acres  of  land  and 
is  worth  $100, 000.  Mr.  Austin  was  County  Surveyor 
for  a  time.  But  perhaps  the  most  illustrious  family 
among  the  settlers  that  year  was  that  of 

HORATIO  FOWLER. 

He  was  a  Canadian,  and  being  concerned  in  the  rebellion 
of  '37,  had  spent  two  years  in  prison,  and  was  finally 
liberated  through  the  able  intercession  of  his  wife.  She 
was  a  very  smart  and  talented  woman.  He  was  a  rela- 
tive of  Lyman  Smith  and  came  to  Newark  in  search  of 
a  new  home,  finding  which,  he  sent  for  his  family.  He 
lived  a  while  on  Thuneman's  corner,  and  then  bought  a 
piece  of  land  of  Mr.  Stowell,  on  the  creek,  and  built  a 
rude  dwelling  there.  He  afterward  built  his  house  on 
the  hill,  now  occupied  by  Isaac  Lott.  Huldah,  the  old- 
est daughter,  died  after  they  had  been  here  a  year.  Two 
brothers  and  one  sister  remained.  Henry  became  a  phy- 
sician, and  is  now  somewhere  west.  Fowler  Institute  is 
named  after  him.  Charles  studied  for  the  ministry;  was  a 
pastor  several  years,  then  President  of  Evanston  Univer- 
tity,  now  editor  of  the  New  York  Christian  Advocate, 
and  is  a  leading  spirit  in  the  Methodist  denomination. 
Jane  married  Rev.  W.  C.  Willing,  and  is  herself  acquir- 
ing a  national  reputation  as  a  speaker  and  writer.  A 
prominent  characteristic  of  the  entire  family  is  "  push," 
and  they  have  pushed  themselves  from  the  little  cabin  by 
the  creek,  where  the  floor  was  overflowed  at  every  freshet, 
up  to  positions  of  honor  and  usefulness. 


FIRST   TERM    OF    COURT.  225 

The  first  public  record  in  the  new  county  of  Kendall 
was  a  sale  of  land  from  John  Gilman  to  Clark  B.  Alford, 
April  15th,  1841.  In  June,  Archibald  Sears,  county 
surveyor,  laid  oiF  ten  acres  in  Yorkville  for  a  court  house 
square.  The  land  was  owned  by  Rulief  S.  Duryea  and 
Henry  Carrington.  Before  the  final  transfer  was  made, 
in  August,  Mr.  Carrington  disposed  of  his  right  to  Jas. 
S.  Cornell,  and  by  the  latter  and  Mr.  Duryea  it  was 
deeded  to  the  county.  The  first  term  of  Court  was  held 
in  May.  Following  is  the  list  of  the  grand  jurors  : 
Daniel  Ashley,  L.  C.  Gorton,  Daniel  Hubbard,  Joel 
Warner,  James  Stafi'ord,  Benj.  C.  Burns,  Horace  Moore, 
H.  S.  Misner,  Wm.  Burns,  R.  W.  Cams,  John  Litsey, 
J.  W.  Mason,  Geo.  Van  Emmon,  Archibald  Sears,  C.  B. 
Ware,  Lancelot  Rood,  H.  W.  Williams,  Abbott  Bush, 
F.  F,  Winchell,  Jas.  McClellan,  R.  S.  Duryea,  Lyman 
Bristol,  and  Richard  Drury. 

The  following  additional  names  were  either  new  set- 
tlers or  had  been  here  some  time  :  Big  Grove — George 
Bushnell,  Oscar  Barstow,  Robert  Rowe,  J.  S.  Witting- 
ton  ;  Seward — George  E.  Harrison  ;  Oswego — Samuel 
Pyatt,  David  and  Reed  Ferris,  Peter  J.  Lestourgeon, 
Edward  Simons  ;  Kendall — Joshua  Hallock  ;  Fox — 
Joseph  B.  Lyon,  Samuel  Morse,  J.  S.  Van  Kleut ;  Bris- 
tol— Chas.  Lake ;  Little  Rock — Frederick  Rush,  Andrew 
Shonts.     The 

LONG  GROVE  SCHOOL 

started  in  1841.  The  first  house  was  built  by  each 
neighbor  putting  in  from  three  to  five  logs  each.  Jehiel 
McCrary  was  the  first  teacher  ;  then  Thomas  Ervin, 
Hannah  Moore,  Ebenezer  Scofield,  Mr.  Davis,  Amanda 


226 


HISTORY    OF   KENDALL  COUNTY. 


Luce,  Robert  Mclntyre,  Sarah  and  Caroline  Ives,  Miss 
Wilcox  and  Cyne  Misner. 


CHAPTER  XXXIIl 


DARK  DAYS. 


I^N  1842  came  Andrew  Brodie  into  Fox 
township ;  Mr.  Lyons,  Byron  E.  and 
David  H.  Shonts  to  Little  Rock  ;  Thom- 
as Greenfield,  John  Chapman,  Samuel 
and  Thomas  Hopkins,  Dr.  Clemmons, 
E.  D.  Bradley  and  George  Bradley  to 
Oswego;  C.  R.  Cook,  David  Springer, 
Mr.  Young,  C.  H.  Raymond,  Dr.  Pierre,  A.  Allaire, 
and  Leonard  Mabbott  to  Bristol ;  Ark  en  Baker,  Dennis 
Dougherty,  Solon  and  Augustus  Worthing,  to  Seward. 
Lewis  Rickard  came  from  New  York  with  several  of  the 
Montgomery  county  boys,  who  wanted  to  view  the  coun- 
try, but  the  others  went  back  and  saw  Illinois  no  more. 
The  following  names,  most  of  them  not  mentioned 
before,  are  copied  from 

AN  OLD  STORE  BOOK 

of  Geo.  D.  Richardson  &  Co.,  through  the  courtesy  of 
E.  S.  L.  Richardson.  They,  with  many  others,  traded 
with  Messrs.  Richardson  &  Co,  during  1841  :  James  P. 


NAMES   FROM   A    STORE    BOOK.  227 

■ 

Lamb,  John  B.  Ball,  Lyman  Howard,  Joseph  Pratt, 
Sterling  Beecher,  James  S.  Jones,  Alex.  NcGregor,  F. 
F.  Elgin,  John  Gates,  Joseph  Boyce,  Larnal  Wilson, 
Anne  Leighton,  Dr.  Pierre,  A.  Allaire,  W.  B.  Smith, 
W.  L.  Shaw,  James  B.  Lowry,  Royal  Bell,  Waldo 
Marsh,  Eric  Nelson,  J.  N.  Tolman,  Russell  Ball,  Hiram 
Austin,  J.  R.  Byerly,  J.  Starke  Burroughs,  Paul  Lamb, 
George  Ross,  J.  E.  Ament,  Peter  Cook,  Zenas  Dunbar, 
Horatio  Johnson,  H.  H.  Williams,  George  H.  Rogers, 
Sullivan  Cone,  Samuel  Pope,  Dexter  Howard,  Charles 
R.  Noble,  John  L.  Gale,  Elihu  Sutton,  John  Lott, 
Daniel  Crandall,  Smith  Shaw,  Mrs.  Browning,  D.  D. 
Munger,  N.  A.  Parkhurst,  Jason  Parmenter,  Edward 
Moore,  William  Rogers,  Sabian  Tustanson,  Peter  Innis, 
J.  McCrary,  Nelson  Howe,  Simeon  Ives,  Moses  Sweet, 
Robert  Cook,  G.  Cleveland,  Mahlon  Coombs,  W. 
Kearnes,  J.  Burbee,  Edwin  Howe,  C.  K.  Carr,  Henry 
Stone,  William  Harrison,  G.  W.  Bradley,  Charles  N. 
Macubin,  I.  G.  Potter,  William  H.  Eddy,  Joseph  L. 
Clarke,  B.  Douglas,  A.  Olmstead,  T.  J.  Smith,  J.  D. 
Gardner,  Alanson  King,  James  Bond,  Ruth  Kennedy, 
Raphael  Beecher.  E.  Hill,  Dennison  Burroughs,  D. 
Winchell,  John  Inscho,  John  Reed,  Thomas  Abbey, 
Apollos  King,  Hervey  King,  Horace  Scott,  Benjamin 
Fosgate,  Otis  Ashley,  G.  C.  Carr,  William  Boss,  Mr. 
Graver,  M.  M.  Clarke,  J.  Bennett,  Garrett  L.  Collins, 
Mr.  Lincoln,  Jno.  Pearson,  Lester  M.  Burroughs,  Wil- 
liam Kimball,  Mr.  Boughton,  F,  Winchell,  J.  Kennedy, 
Catharine  Barstow. 

Besides  those  one  hundred  names  are  the  names  of 
many  well  known  settlers  of  that  day,  making  about  one 


228  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

■ 

hundred  and  fifty  in  all.  The  list  probably  includes 
nearly  all  the  families  then  living  within  a  radius  of  six 
or  eight  miles  of  Bristol.  The  Congregationalists  bought 
the  old  store,  now  standing  on  the  hill  by  the  mouth  of 
Blackberry  creek,  and  used  it  for  meetings  and  schools. 
The  feeling  consequent  upon  the 

FORMATION  OF  THE  COUNTY 

had  not  subsided,  and  so  late  as  December  30th,  1842,  a 
remonstrance  was  sent  to  the  Legislature  from  citizens  of 
LaSalle  county,  remonstrating  against  their  being  set 
ofi"  into  Kendall.  It  was  presented  by  Rev.  Elisha  Bib- 
bins,  who,  on  some  disafi'ection  between  the  political  par- 
ties, had  been  elected  Representative  from  LaSalle,  as  a 
union  candidate.  But  as  an  off-set,  he  presented  at  the 
same  time  a  petition  from  the  citizens  praying  for  a  con- 
tinuance of  the  county  as  it  had  been  organized. 

The  historian  still  meets  with  but  few  names  of  new 
settlers,  and  the  fact  is  clearly  stated  by  Gov.  Carlin  in 
a  message  to  the  Senate : 

"Owing  to  our 

ACCUMULATED  MISFORTUNES 

the  tides  of  emigration  and  wealth  have  ceased  to  flow 
into  the  State.  All  the  channels  of  trade  are  completely 
obstructed,  and  the  vitality  of  business  seems  almost 
extinct.  The  produce  of  the  country  is  reduced  to  its 
lowest  price,  and  in  many  places  cash  cannot  be  realized 
for  it  at  all.  It  will  be  difiicult,  if  not  impossible,  for  the 
people  to  procure  current  funds  for  the  payment  of  taxes. 
Cash  cannot  at  present  be  realized  from  the  sale  of  pub- 
lic lands  owned  by  the  State." 


STATE    FINANCIAL   ADVERSITY.  229 

Governor  Ford  in  his  inaugural  said:  "Two  causes 
have  operated  to  prevent  an  increase  of  population  for 
a  year  or  two  past.  One  is  the  prevalent  fear  of  exor- 
bitant taxes  ;  the  other  the  reproach  to  which  Ave  are 
subject  abroad." 

In  the  preamble  to  resolutions  against  repudiation, 
adopted  a  few  days  after,  it  is  said:  "Under  our 
former  policy  public  works  were  begun  and  prosecuted, 
and  vast  schemes  of  internal  improvement  adopted  alto- 
gether disproportionate  to  our  means.  These  measures 
had  their  origin  in  the  delusions  incident  to  one  of  those 
periodical  excitements  which  in  Europe  as  well  as  this 
country  have  led  States  and  individuals  into  inordinate 
speculations,  uniformly  terminating  in  bankruptcy  and 
ruin.  Under  the  influence  of  this  delusion  former  Legis- 
latures have  contracted  debts  in  times  of  great  apparent 
prosperity  which  we  are  now  in  a  period  of  financial 
adversity  utterly  unable  to  liquidate.     But  *  * 

we  fully  recognize  the  legal  and  moral  obligations  of 
discharging  every  debt,  and  the  revenues  of  the  State 
shall  be  appropriated  for  that  purpose  as  soon  as  they 
can  be  made  available  without  impoverishing  and  oppress- 
ing the  people. 

It  was,  perhaps,  the  darkest  time  in  the  history  of  our 
State,  and  in  many  a  household  the  pinching  of  poverty 
was  extreme.  But  in  the  midst  of  the  gloom  there  were 
yet  many  things  to  be  thankful  for,  and  by  the  Gov- 
ernor's proclamation,  December  29th,  1842,  was  set  apart 
as  a  public  Thanksgiving  Day.  The  prayers  offered  up 
were  heard,  for  times  began  to  be  better,  and  two  years 
thereafter  emigration  began  to  pour  in   as   of  old,  and 


230  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

money,  the  life  blood  of  the  community,  began  to  circu- 
late through  the  channels  of  trade. 


In  December,  the 


LAND  OFFICE 


was  opened  for  the  district  embracing  Kane  county  and 
our  three  northern  townships  formerly  in  Kane,  and  in 
these  the  same  troubles  were  experienced  and  the  same 
precautionary  measures  taken  as  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  county  before.  Marcus  Steward,  James  McClellan 
and  Daniel  S.  Gray  were  among  those  who  did  the  bid- 
ding for  tlieir  several  localities.  In  Little  Rock,  a  Claim 
Association  was  formed,  with  J.  M.  Kennedy  for  captain, 
and  James  Phillips  lieutenant,  who  marched  to  Chicago 
to  see  that  the  settlers  had  their  rights.  The  plan  gen- 
erally followed  was  to  let  any  one  bid  who  wished,  and 
as  high  as  they  wished,  and  often  a  man's  farm,  with  all 
its  improvements,  would  be  knocked  down  to  a  specula- 
tor who  had  never  seen  it,  or  to  an  avaricious  neighbor 
who  coveted  it.  But  the  lockout  would  come  the  next 
morning  when  the  purchaser,  gleeful  over  a  good  bar- 
gain, appeared  with  his  money,  and  could  not  pass  the 
guard  until  the  appointed  hour  had  passed,  and  the  tract 
of  land  had  been  called  again  and  knocked  down  to  the 
real  owner  at  government  price.  The  officers  were  in 
understanding  with  the  settlers  in  the  matter,  and  were 
silent  partners  in  the  agreement ;  for  though  not  the 
letter  of  the  law,  it  was  certainly  the  honest  wish  of 
the  government  that  every  actual  settler  should  keep  his 
own  farm  ;  and  it  was  surely  difficult  enough  to  do  this 
even  at  the  lowest  prices,  and  many  who  are  now  weal- 


EXPERIENCES    OF    PIONEERS.  231 

thy  were  then  unable  to  raise  the  money  at  all.    Follow- 
ing is  a  part  of  the 

PIONEER  EXPERIENCES 

of  D.  H.  Shonts,  Esq. :  Three  miles  above  Piano,  on 
the  Big  Rock  creek,  is  the  mill  site  where  in  1836  a  saw 
mill  was  erected  by  Elisha  Pearce  and  Wm.  Wilson,  of 
Oswego.  They  also  got  out  the  frame  for  a  grist  mill, 
but  it  was  never  put  up.  In  1838  the  property  was 
traded  to  Eber  M.  Shonts,  and  in  1842  to  his  brother, 
David  H.  Shonts,  the  present  owner.  The  latter  came 
with  his  family  from  Herkimer  county,  New  York,  with 
a  capital  of  $58,  and  saved  but  one  dollar  to  begin  life 
with  in  Illinois.  To  make  times  still  harder,  the  ague 
waited  for  him  and  boarded  with  him  all  winter  ;  had 
the  misfortune  to  cut  his  foot  in  the  spring ;  was  taken 
down  with  bilious  fever  in  June,  and  had  a  relapse  of 
fever  in  August.  He  was  barely  recovered  when  his 
father  died,  and  ten  weeks  afterwards  his  brother  Eber's 
wife  also  died,  her  husband  following  the  ensuing  year.  In 
the  year  1846  there  were  two  other  deaths  in  the  family. 
At  the  land  sale  in  '42,  he  was  unable  to  raise  the 
money  to  pay  for  his  farm,  and  arranged  to  borrow  it  of 
Barnabas  Eldredge,  who,  in  turn  expected  to  procure  it  of 
Thomas  Swift.  But  the  latter  discovered  what  it  was  for, 
and  was  minded  to  make  something  for  himself,  if  any- 
thing was  to  be  made ;  whereupon  Mr.  Shonts  applied 
to  Mr.  Tuttle,  of  Chicago,  who,  though  hard  pressed  in 
his  own  business,  loaned  his  friend  the  money  at  twenty- 
five  per  cent  interest,  taking  the  Government  duplicate 
of  land  as  security.  After  three  years,  Mr.  Tuttle  de- 
sired a  settlement,  and  Mr.  Shonts  deeded  his  farm  to 


232  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Moses  Booth  for  money  to  pay  Tuttle,  and  then  to  J. 
L.  Adams,  of  Ottawa,  for  money  to  pay  Booth — all  the 
time  paying  twenty-five  per  cent.  At  last,  in  '47,  he 
obtained  the  deed  of  his  farm  from  Adams.  After  escap- 
ing the  jaws  of  the  speculators  at  Chicago,  there  were 
difficulties  among  neighbors  to  settle.  One  was  known 
as  the  "  Hummel  and  Hubbel  case,"  in  which  one  of  the 
parties  refused  to  re-deed  to  the  other,  according  to  mu- 
tual contract.  The  reason  was,  he  would  lose  a  larger 
slice  than  he  would  gain.  After  all  fair  means  had 
been  tried,  the  neighbors  were  notified  and  they  met  on 
an  appointed  day  to  the  number  of  one  hundred  and  fifty, 
resolved  to  enforce  obedience  to  the  law.  All  the  young 
bloods  in  the  country  were  there,  eager  for  "fan," 
but  enough  of  the  sober  element  were  present  to  control 
the  proceedings.  A  deputation  was  first  sent  to  the  house 
of  the  accused,  but  met  with  no  success,  and  they  left  him 
with  the  words:  "We  have  done  what  we  could,  sir,  and 
you  must  bear  the  consequences."  It  was  then  resolved 
to  take  down  and  remove  the  logs  of  his  house,  but  soon 
a  messenger  came,  announcing  his  willingness  to  deed 
the  patch  of  land,  and  so  the  matter  was  settled  without 
recourse  to  violence. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


CLAIM    FIGHTS. 


N  Seward,  among  the  settlers  of  1843,  were 
R.  Bellfield  and  Edward  Jones ;  in  Na-au- 
say,  R.  M.  Wheeler,  0.  C.  Johnson,  Geo. 
Bellfield,  Henry  Pulver,  Mr.  Bingham,  Mr. 
Avery,  James  Brady,  Mr.  Merritt,  Mr. 
Gould,  Charles  Suydam,  Edward  Fogarty, 
Peter  and  John  VanDyke.  The  Wheeler 
family  now  own  one-eighteenth  of  the  town 
of  Na-au-say.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  son-in-law.  Both  he 
and  A.  K.  Wheeler  have  been  to  the  Legislature.  His 
first  house  was  a  board  shanty  near  the  site  of  his  pres- 
ent residence,  and  there  he  was  obliged  to  leave  his  wife 
and  little  family  while  he  went  to  Chicago.  Every  day 
the  cows  had  to  be  fetched  from  the  almost  boundless 
prairie,  and  every  night  the  wolves  drearily  howled 
all  about  them. 

Mr.  Jones  was  direct  from  Wales,  Avith  nothing  Amer- 
ican about  him — not  even  the  language.  He  met  Mr. 
Milks  in  Chicago  with  a  load  of  grain,  and  rode  out  with 
him,  and  that  was  how  it  came  about  that  his  lot  was 
cast  in  Kendall   county.      A  bachelor  by  the  name  of 

16 


234  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

Harrison  owned  the  place  on  which  the  Bronk  school- 
house  now  stands,  and  died  that  year. 

The  old  cemetery  on  the  Austin  farm,  then  Sullivan's, 
was  begun  in  1843.  Several  graves  still  remain  there. 
Mrs.  John  Merritt  was  the  first  buried  there.  In  the 
town  of  Kendall  settled  S.  W.  Brown,  John  Dunn  and 
Chris.  Johnson.  The  latter  was  from  Norwav,  and  the 
first  Norweigan  on  the  prairie  where  now  there  are  so 
many  hundreds.  In  Little  Rock,  Henry  Persons,  Wil- 
liam Hardy  and  W.  S.  Faxon  ;  in  Oswego,  Cyrus  Cass, 
John  Collins,  H.  Minard,  George  Wooley  ;  in  Bristol, 
William  Grimwood,  J.  C.  Scofield ;  Lisbon,  N.  W.  Sher- 
rill,  G.  C.  Gaylord,  Kirkland  and  •  Baker  Knox,  and 
Deacon  Beebe.  The  latter  brought  out  what  was  at 
least  one  of  the  first  pianos  in  the  county,  if  not  the 
very  first.  It  is  an  antiquated  but  sweet  sounding  little 
thing,  though  more  valuable  for  its  history  and  associa- 
tions than  its  music,  and  is  now  owned  by  John  Codner, 
of  Lisbon. 

In  Big  Grove,  David  Barrows,  Michael  Brown,  Deacon 
Gridley  and  Lot  Preshur.  Mr.  Barrows  exchanged 
property  with  J.  J.  Hunt,  of  Naperville,  and  lived  there 
two  years,  but  the  rest  of  the  time  he  lived  here.  Mr. 
Brown  was  brought  out  from  Chicago  by  Josiah  Sey- 
mour, and  on  arriving  here  had  but  very  little  money 
left.  He  lived  for  a  time  on  the  Isaac  Anderson  place 
with  Albert  P.  Brewster,  now  in  Kansas,  and  Josiah 
Fosgate,  now  in  Lee  county.  He  hired  out  at  once  to 
go  with  a  threshing  machine,  and  after  working  a  month 
met  with  an  accident  by  which  he  lost  a  limb.     He  sue- 


MR.    murphy's   fly   BILL.  235 

ceeded,  however,  in  securing  a  good  farm,  and  has  raised 
a  large  and  enterprising  family. 

Mr.  Gridley  bought  his  place  of  Lewis  Robinson,  a 
tailor,  and  the  shop  in  which  he  worked  is  still  a  part  of 
the  dwelling  house  on  the  farm.  Lot  Preshur  built 
Mrs.  H.  L.  Warner's  house  in  Newark.  He  was  a  ma- 
chinist, and  soon  became  well  known  as  a  reaper  inventor 
and  manufacturer. 

During  the  previous  winter  a  petition  was  sent  to  the 
Legislature,  praying  that  the  name  of  Georgetown  might 
be  changed  to 

NEWARK, 

as  there  was  another  Georgetown  in  Vermillion  county. 
The  petition  was  presented  by  Alfred  E.  Ames,  of  Boone 
county,  and  the  Act  making  the  change  was  passed  Feb- 
ruary 16th,  1843.  On  January  28th,  preceding,  a  peti- 
tion was  presented  by  Mr.  Bibbins,  praying  the  incor- 
poration of  "Newark  Academy,"  but  it  was  referred 
without  reading  to  the  Committee  on  Banks  and  Cor- 
porations, Murphy,  of  Cook,  chairman,  and  was  there 
lost.  Kendall  county  had  no  Representative,  but  a  peti- 
tion was  sent  in  praying  an  Act  enabling  them  to  elect 
one.  But  Mr.  Murphy,  though  he  frowned  on  the 
Academy,  had  time  to  introduce  a  bill  of  his  own  for 
"An  Act  to  incorporate  a  joint  stock  association  whose 
charter  shall  be  irrepealable  for  five  hundred  years,  and 
whose  duties  it  shall  be  to  prevent  flies  from  infesting 
our  dairies,  defiling  our  butter,  and  drowning  themselves 
in  our  buttermilk,"  which  was  read  the  first  and  second 
times  by  its  title,  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Banks  and  Corporations. 


236  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

THE    NEWARK    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH 

was  organized  April  9th,  by  Rev.  Alvah  Day,  with 
twenty-one  members.  Among  them  were  T.  J.  Phillips, 
Josiah  Seymour,  Lyman  Preston  and  A.  F.  Southwick, 
and  their  wives.  Ole  Oleson  and  Horace  Day  and  wife 
joined  soon  after.  The  pastors  succeeding  Mr.  Day 
were  L.  Rood,  Romulus  Barnes,  C.  L.  Bartlett,  James 
Taylor,  George  Bassett,  Robert  Budd,  R.  Markham,  L. 
Farnham,  Mr.  Anderson,  Mr.  Burns  and  C.  B.  Curtis. 
The  first  meetings  were  held  over  Murray's  store,  in 
Mrs.  Niblo's  building,  then  owned  by  Mr.  Gardner.  A 
gravel  meeting  house  was  finished  in  1849,  which,  after 
eight  years'  service,  was  burned  down  by  an  accident 
happening  to  a  traveling  exhibition  which  had  been 
allowed  the  use  of  the  house  for  an  entertainment.  A 
new  house  was  built  and  dedicated  in  1861.  W.  C. 
Willing  and  wife,  then  Miss  Jennie  Fowler,  and  her 
brothers  Henry  and  Charles,  were  members  of  the  church, 
afterward  uniting  with  the  Methodists.  Warren  F.  Day 
went  out  from  it,  now  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Union  City,  Michigan. 

August  31st  an  association  was  formed  for  the  better 
care  of  the 

NEWARK  AND  MILFORD  BURYING  GROUND, 

at  a  public  meeting  held  on  the  ground.  Jesse  Jackson, 
Henry  A.  Misner  and  Nathan  Aldricli  were  chosen 
trustees,  and  Levi  Brainard  treasurer  and  secretary.  A 
movement  for  the  sale  of  lots  to  raise  money  for  fencing, 
had  been  started  in  the  June  previous,  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty-one  persons  subscribed  from  fifty  cents  to  twu 


NEWARK   AND    MILFORD    BURIAL    GROUND.         237 

dollars  each.  But  the  sums  were  not  all  paid  for  a  long 
time.  The  price  of  a  lot  and  the  digging  of  a  grave  had 
for  years  been  one  dollar  and  a  half,  but  after  the  organ- 
ization it  was  raised  to  two  dollars  and  a  half,  which  many 
in  that  day  thought  a  very  high  price. 

The  following  year  the  contract  for  fencing  was  finally 
let  to  Samuel  Jackson  for  seventy  dollars,  and  three 
years  after  the  sexton's  tool  house  was  built  at  a  cost  of 
thirty-five  dollars.  There  are  at  the  present  time  three 
hundred  lot  owners  whose  names  are  recorded,  and  there 
are  in  the  cemetery  more  than  eight  hundred  distin- 
guishable graves,  besides  many  that  have  long  since 
been  obliterated.  Six  hundred  of  the  graves  are  marked 
by  headstones,  and  five  by  large  monuments. 

A  burying  ground  has  been  a  sacred  spot  ever  since 
Abraham,  who  could  do  without  a  permanent  home  for 
himself,  but  wanted  a  permanent  home  for  his  dead.  It 
is  a  symbol  of  Christianity  which  cares  for  the  dust  of 
our  mortality,  and  calmly  opposes  the  gush  of  modern 
religionists  about  the  worthlessness  of  the  body  and  the 
beauty  of  cremation  furnaces. 

Three  schools  date  from  here.  The  Millington  school 
had  for  its  first  teachers  :  Miss  Courtright,  Miss  Loug- 
head,  Miss  Ingalls,  Annie  Sherman,  John  Todd,  Mary 
Scott,  Miss  Martindale,  Delia  Fuller,  and  Jane  Fowler. 
The  first  is  now  Mrs.  T.  J.  Phillips,  the  last  Mrs.  W. 
C.  Willing. 

The  Boomer  school,  in  Bristol,  was  also  built  in  1843, 
the  second  school  house  being  built  in  1855.  First 
teachers :  Ann  Lowry,  Carlton  Hunt,  Polly  Lowry,  Gil- 
bert Lester,  Rhoda  Shaver,  Emily  Dyer,  Aaron  Alford, 


238  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Benj.  GiiFord,  Mr.  Sullivan,  John  Young,  James  Keel- 
er,  and  Mr.  Moore. 

The  Albee  school,  Oswego,  was  rebuilt  in  1858.  Early 
teachers :  Annie  Stowell,  Henry  Chapman,  Howell 
Moffatt,  Minnie  Graham,  Mary  Barr,  James  Coe,  Mary 
A.  Thornton,  Jane  Rosier,  Wiltby  Thayer,  Mary  Bruce, 
and  Henry  Titsworth.  Miss  Stowell  taught  her  school 
in  a  spare  room  in  Walter  Selvey's  house,  before  the 
school  house  was  built,  beginning  in  1841. 

An  extensive 

CLAIM  FIGHT 

that  raged  in  1841  may  be  given  here.  The  main  points 
were  about  as  follows  :  Mr.  Hutton  made  his  claim 
where  J.  J.  Griswold's  farm  now  is,  near  the  Rob  Roy 
creek,  and  after  a  while  left  it.  Rogers  and  Eldredge, 
supposing  the  claim  vacated,  went  on  it ;  but  Hutton 
by-and-by  sold  for  a  trifle  to  John  Boyd,  and  he,  too, 
moved  on  it.  Then  there  was  war.  There  was,  perhaps, 
blame  on  both  sides,  but  the  people  generally  regarded 
Boyd  as  in  the  wrong,  and  on  the  complaint  of  the  other 
parties  took  active  measures  against  him.  Mr.  Griswold 
was  on  one  quarter,  and  they  put  the  crops  in  by  a  bee, 
in  opposition  to  Boyd.  The  latter  then  moved  on  the 
next  quarter,  which  was  all  timber  land,  and  most  of 
which  was  claimed  by  John  Wheeler.  He  was  Swiss, 
and  not  naturalized,  and  could  not  hold  in  his  own 
name,  so  Hiram  Brown  was  put  on  with  him.  The 
contest  waxed  hot.  Mr.  Boyd's  son-in-law,  Mr.  Throck- 
morton, a  large,  muscular  man,  took  an  active  part  in 
it.  His  side  began  cutting  timber,  whereupon  a  day 
was  appointed  and  nearly  one  hundred  men  assembled 


THE   MILLERITE   EXCITEMENT.  239 

to  cut  opposition  timber.  That  was  a  day  long  remem- 
bered. Bad  words  were  used  and  threats  made,  but  no 
blood  was  shed.  Mr.  Boyd  instituted  a  suit  against 
twenty-one  of  the  opposition,  which  ran  through  the 
Kane  county  courts  for  years,  and  was  known  as  the 
"  Twenty-one  suit." 

During  the  early  part  of  1843  the  Miller  excitement 
in  regard  to  the  end  of  the  world  was  at  its  height. 
William  Miller  had  fixed  on  April,  1843,  as  the  time  of 
the  end,  and  there  were  many  believers  in  his  arithmetic 
in  this  county.  It  is  no  doubt  a  fact  that  some  of  them 
had  their  white  robes  ready  made  for  the  occasion,  from 
a  wrong  interpretation  of  Rev.  7:9.  The  clothing  of 
heaven  is  holiness,  spiritual  in  texture,  and  not  cloth 
from  the  Georgia  cotton  fields.  Christ  is  coming  again, 
"  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  Him  go  into  heaven" ; 
but  he,  himself,  was  careful  to  teach  us  that  "  of  that 
day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no  not  the  angels  of 
heaven."  And  if  still  we  are  curious  to  know,  we  have 
his  rebuke,  that  "  it  is  not  for  you  to  know  the  times  or 
the  seasons,  which  the  Father  hath  put  in  His  own 
power."  "  Watch,  for  ye  know  not  when  the  Master 
cometh." 

A  great  excitement  was  created  at  the  close  of  the 
year  1843  by  the 

RYDER  MURDER  CASE. 

Ansel  Ryder  owned  the  farm  afterward  owned  by  Joel 
Warner,  and  now  by  Elijah  Pricket,  half  a  mile  south 
of  the  village.  He  and  others  were  in  Smith's  tav- 
ern, in  the  Barnett  block,  Newark,  when  Owen  Haymond 
passed  a  joke  which  ofi'ended  Ryder.      He  went  home 


240  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

for  his  rifle  and  shot  Haymond  in  the  door  of  the  tavern, 
not,  however,  seriously  wounding  him.  Riding  back,  he 
barricaded  himself  in  his  house.  The  neighbors  from  all 
about  assembled,  but  he  held  them  at  bay  most  of  the 
night.  Finally,  Charles  McNeil,  while  unfastening  a 
window,  was  also  shot,  which  so  enraged  the  crowd  that 
they  broke  in  the  door  with  a  log,  and  arrested  him 
before  he  could  reload  his  rifle.  Mr.  McNeil  was  shot 
through  the  chest,  so  that  a  silk  handkerchief  could  be 
drawn  through  ;  he  died  in  a  few  days.  J.  S.  Cornell 
was  Sheriff,  and  kept  the  prisoner  up  stairs  in  his  house 
— the  yellow  house  still  standing  just  west  of  the  court 
house  in  Yorkville.  It  was  not  a  very  secure  jail,  and 
Ryder,  thinking  he  could  escape,  leaped  from  the  front 
window  and  broke  his  leg.  The  trial  came  on  at  the  fol- 
lowing spring  term  of  court.  Judge  Dickey  was  his  lead- 
ing counsel,  and  B.  F.  Fridley  prosecuting  attorney  ;  and 
as  the  prisoner  refused  to  plead,  a  plea  of  "  not  guilty  " 
was  entered  for  him.  At  the  fall  term  of  court,  for  some 
reason,  Mr.  Fridley  refused  to  prosecute,  and  the  pris- 
oner was  discharged,  but  was  again  arrested  ;  and  so  the 
case  dragged  along  for  three  years.  The  result  was  that 
Ryder  escaped  punishment,  went  to  California,  returned, 
and  died  in  Joliet ;  and  Judge  Dickey  took  the  farm  for 
his  fees.  From  such  scenes,  it  is  pleasant  to  turn  to  the 
fact  that  1843  was  rendered  memorable  by  a  powerful 
revival  of  religion  among  the  churches,  which  increased 
the  membership  fully  one-third.  It  was  a  union  of  utter 
depression  in  business,  with  the  most  glorious  salvation 
of  souls. 

The   winter   was   also  characterized  by   the  excellent 


PROSPERITY    RETURNS. 


241 


sleighing,  which  lasted  without  intermission  from  No- 
vember to  April.  It  set  in  cold  November  18th,  while 
flowers  were  yet  in  bloom,  and  the  ice  did  not  break  up 
until  April  9th.  On  April  7th,  the  river  could  be  crossed 
on  the  ice. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


THE    SLAVE   AUCTION. 

'he  year  1844— the  year  of  the  first 
'I  telegraph  between  Washington  and 
Baltimore — was  marked  by  a  decided 
return  of  prosperity.  The  winter  had 
been  severe ;  the  spring  mud  was 
something  unknown  before,  and  up  to 
the  first  of  June  the  roads  were  well 
nigh  impassable  for  teams.  The  entire  summer  was  very 
wet,  keeping  the  roads  bad  and  the  streams  flooded,  yet 
a  larger  number  of  emigrants  came  through  than  in  any 
one  season  during  the  seven  years  previous.  There  is 
room  to  mention  only  those  who  became  permanent  set- 
tlers :  In  Kendall,  Charles  Merrick,  William  Buchanan, 
William  Dunn,  James  Springer,  Mr.  Willet;  in  Lisbon, 
P.  W.  Coulthurst,  Henry  Munson,  C.  Z.  Convis,  Mr. 
Widney,  W.  J.  Jordan,  Harry  Harford  ;  in  Na-au-say, 
L.  A.  Whitlock,  Conard  Schark,  George  Schilling,  Law- 
rence Carroll  and  David  Smith.     The  voting  precincts 


242  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

were  re-formed  that  year.  Na-au-say  had  formerly 
been  in  the  Gary  precinct,  voting  at  Oswego,  but  was 
made  the  Aux  Sable  precinct.  In  this  precinct  the  local 
officers  were  chosen  viva  voce,  and  it  was  discovered  at 
the  close,  funnily  enough,  that  0.  C.  Johnson  had  been 
elected  Justice  by  mistake,  instead  of  Rollin  Wheeler. 
In  Little  Rock  were  Alfred  Houghtalen,  Sherrill  Bird, 
T.  Ryder,  John  Cox,  Henry  Hart  and  Mr.  Field.  The 
village  of  Little  Rock  was  laid  out  that  season,  and  the 
above,  with  L.  D.  Brady  and  Abram  Crandall,  were  the 
purchasers  of  lots. 

In  Oswego,  Wright  Murphy,  M.  S.  Richards,  John 
and  William  Bertram,  Ezekiel  Davis,  Edwin  Hunt,  Elias 
Ladd.  In  Big  Grove,  Hiram  Scofield,  Davis  Lord  and 
three  sons,  Samuel  Bingham,  Aaron  Petty,  Ira  Scofield, 
Mr.  Drumgool  and  Ezekiel  Howes.  Mr.  Howes  was 
killed  in  1851  by  a  bucket  falling  on  him  while  digging 
a  well  on  Mr.  Cassem's  place,  west  side  of  Big  Grove. 
In  Fox,  Tunis  F.  Budd.  Among  the  peculiarities  of 
the  times  was  a  rage  for 

.    ACADEMIES. 

Perhaps  nearly  every  village  in  the  West  has  at  some 
period  in  its  history  caught  the  Academy  fever,  formed 
an  association,  either  incorporated  or  otherwise,  and 
perhaps  built  a  house.  From  this  we  may  draw  an  indi- 
cation and  a  use.  It  is  an  indication  of  the  strong  love 
entertained  by  the  early  settlers  for  education,  and  its 
use  was  to  supplement  the  deficiencies  of  the  common 
school  system  until  that  system  was  able  to  meet  the 
demands  of  the  people.  When  that  time  came  the 
Academies  were  merged  into  the  common  schools.     The 


NEW  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED.  243 

Lisbon  Academy — the  present  public  school  building — 
was  built  in  1844.  Mr.  Dewey,  Mr.  Slade,  a  son  of 
Gov.  Slade,  of  Massachusetts,  Mr.  Andrews  and  Col. 
Oleson  were  among  the  teachers.  The  Pavilion  Academy 
was  originated  and  carried  on  to  completion  by  Rev.  J. 
F.  Tolman.  He  rode  all  over  the  country  soliciting  five 
dollar  shares,  hailing  men  at  their  work  and  boys  at  the 
plow,  and  so  raised  the  full  amount  required.  The 
building  was  a  one-story  brick,  two  rooms.  The  present 
school  house  is  built  out  of  the  old  bricks.  E.  L.  Bart- 
lett  was  the  first  teacher.  In  Newark  two  religious 
societies  were  formed.  One,  a  Universalist  Society, 
under  the  preaching  of  Rev.  Messrs.  Hall  and  Manly. 
It  was  for  a  time  quite  flourishing.  The  other,  a  Bap- 
tist Society,  the  nucleus  of  the 

NEWARK  BAPTIST  CHURCH, 

organized  by  the  Sailor  Preacher,  Rev.  Morgan  Edwards. 
Mr.  Edwards  had  formerly  been  a  very  wild  and  wicked 
man.  His  first  serious  thought  arose  from  seeing  the 
word  "eternity  "  on  a  leaf  which  a  fellow  sailor  was 
reading.  It  startled  and  troubled  him.  He  felt  very 
keenly  that  he  was  in  no  proper  state  for  going  into 
eternity.  He  procured  a  Testament  as  soon  as  he  reached 
port,  and  read  it,  attended  the  Bethel  chapel,  and  was 
soon  changed  by  the  Spirit  of  God  to  a  new  man.  His 
desire  then  was  to  preach  the  gospel  in  neglected  places, 
where  he  should  find  men  situated  as  he  had  been. 
So  he  came  to  Chicago  and  worked  his  way  out  among 
the  settlements,  finally  making  Newark  his  home.  Find- 
ing a  number  of  Baptists,  he  organized  a  church  in  Mr. 
Gridley's  house,  March   8th,    1844.       The   constituent 


244  HiSTORr  OF  kendall  county. 

members  were  Henry,  Sarah,  Selah,  Catherine  and  Fan- 
nie Gridley,  John  Brown,  Lot  and  Elsie  Preshur,  Mary 
Doran,  Betsy  Bond,  and  Sylvia  Tremaine. 

The  next  week  at  the  precinct  house,  Annis  Russel, 
Cordelia  Wright,  Solomon  Doran,  and  W.  H.  VanMeter 
were  received,  and  repairing  to  the  river,  at  Milford, 
Mary  Case  was  baptized  by  Rev.  James  Scofield — the 
first  baptism  in  the  river  at  that  point.  In  June  Mr. 
Edwards  was  ordained,  at  a  meeting  held  in  the  precinct 
house,  and  was  solemnly  sent  forward  by  the  church  in 
the  eccentric  but  exceedingly  useful  career  he  had  so 
lately  begun.  He  had  lived  for  a  time  in  Big  Grove, 
but  for  a  longer  time  out  near  Robert  Brown's.  His 
true  calling,  however,  was  not  to  be  a  pastor,  but  an 
evangelist,  and  in  that  he  made  full  proof  of  his  minis- 
try, as  hundreds  can  testify.  The  meeting  house  was 
built  in  1848,  and  the  following  is  the  list  of  pastors : 
J.  F.  Tolman,  Nathan  Card,  John  Higby,  0.  E.  Clark, 
N.  F.  Ravlin,  Mr.  Jacinsky,  John  Wilder,  P.  Taylor, 
Mr.  Brimhall,  Mr.  Wolfe,  W.  W.  Smith,  Thos.  Reese, 
Mr.  Negus,  G.  C.  Van  Osdel,  and  E.  W.  Hicks. 

CONSIDERABLE  EXCITEMENT 

was  created  during  the  summer  over  the  Presidential 
contest.  James  K.  Polk,  the  Democratic  candidate, 
favored  the  annexation  of  Texas,  while  Henry  Clay,  the 
Whig  candidate  opposed  it.  Mr.  Polk  was  elected,  Texas 
was  annexed,  and  the  Mexican  war  followed.  Nine  hun- 
hundred  and  eight  votes  were  cast  in  Kendall  county,  of 
which  one  hundred  and  forty-two  were  for  Mr.  Barney, 
the  anti-slavery  candidate. 

Much  interest  was  also  felt  in  the  Mormon  trouble,  in 


INSPECTION   FOR   THE   CANAL.  245 

Hancock  county.  There  was  war  between  the  Mormons 
and  the  people  of  the  surrounding  country.  Gov.  Ford 
repaired  to  Nauvoo  to  settle  the  difficulty ;  and  having 
arrested  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  lodged  them  in  jail 
at  the  county  seat,  where  they  were  assassinated  the 
same  afternoon.  The  matter  finally  ended  by  the  Mor- 
mons leaving  the  country. 

In  December,  B.  F.  Fridley  was,  after  three  ballot- 
ings,  elected  by  the  State  Senate,  State's  Attorney  for 
this  iudicial  circuit.  John  D.  Caton  was  Circuit  Judgre. 
On  December  13th,  John  Davis  and  W.  H.  Swift,  canal 
commissioners  from  New  York,  on  behalf  of  foreign  bond- 
holders, passed  up  Fox  river  on  their  tour  of  inspection. 
Work  had  ceased  on  the  canal  for  some  time,  for  want  of 
funds,  and  no  more  money  could  be  borrowed,  as  the 
State  was  unable  to  pay  the  interest  on  what  had  been 
borrowed.  This  visit  was  to  thorouo-hlv  examine  the 
whole  matter  and  see  what  more  could  be  done,  as  it  was 
plain  that  the  bonds  already  issued  would  be  vnlueless 
unless  the  world-renowned  canal  could  be  completed. 

The  Shonts  school,  in  Little  Eock.  began  in  1844,  The 
early  teachers  were:  Miss  Eddy,  daughter  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Eddy,  Harriet  M.  Shonts,  Miranda  Williams,  Sarah  Ten- 
ney,  Mary  Powers,  Isaac  Hibbard,  J.  C.  Sherwin,  Hannah 
Dow,  Esther  Mighell,  George  Charles,  Delano  Williams, 
Miss  Libby  and  Elizabeth  Smith. 

In  the  Suydam  school,  in  Na  au-say.  Miss  Poor,  Miss 
Fitch,  Charles  Smith  and  Elijah  Barnes,  were  the  first 
teachers. 

The  "  Marysville,''  or  Foulston  school,  was  the  first 
in  Na- au-say.      The  locality  was  then  called  ''  Tinker- 


246  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

town."  Mrs.  Martin,  now  Mrs.  Rev.  Hewett,  was  the 
first  teacher.  Then  Malvina  Ashley,  Annie  Avery, 
Ellen  Davis  and  Annie  Gleason.  The  new  school  house 
was  built  in  1853. 

In  Oswego,  Walter  Selvey  deeded  to  the  county  one 
hundred  rods  of  ground,  near  Mr.  Albee's,  for  a  burying 
ground.  His  son.  Perry  Selvey,  twelve  years  old,  was 
the  first  one  buried  there.  It  contains  many  graves, 
but  is  not  now  used. 

It  was  about  the  year  1844  that  there  was  a 

NEGRO  SOLD  AT  YORKVILLE, 

under  the  State  law  providing  that  any  free  negro  emi- 
grating to  this  State  might  be  arrested  and  tried  for  the 
offense,  and  on  conviction  sold  at  auction  for  a  sufiicient 
time  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  suit.  Then,  if  he 
did  not  leave,  he  should  be  sold  again,  and  so  on  from 
time  to  time.  Any  Justice  was  compelled  to  hear  the 
case  and  render  judgment  according  to  the  statute,  under 
penalty  of  fines.  The  negro  above  mentioned,  however, 
was  not  free,  but  was  a  fugitive  from  slavery  who  had 
succeeded,  by  the  help  of  friends,  in  getting  so  far  on 
his  way  to  freedom.  He  had  escaped  the  dangers  of 
the  border,  of  pursuers  and  bloodhounds,  and  rivers  and 
forests,  only  to  be  seized  as  he  was  coming  into  York- 
ville,  on  a  friendly  load  of  wheat,  by  a  gentleman  who 
could  not  feel  for  the  slave.  But  in  absence  of  proof 
of  his  being  a  fugitive,  he  was  held  as  a  free  negro 
unlawfully  at  large,  and  was  lodged  in  jail  and  adver- 
tised to  be  sold.  A  great  excitement  was  created,  and 
on  the  day  of  sale  an  immense  crowd  gathered  from  all 
parts   of  the  county.      They  thronged  the  store,   they 


FIRST   AND    ONLY    SLAVE    AUCTION.  247 

gathered  in  groups  at  the  street  corners,  they  listened 
to  moving  addresses  by  different  speakers.  "  Shall  it 
be  ?"  cried  one.  "  They  are  going  to  take  a  brother 
man  from  our  midst  and  run  him  off  south  and  sell  him, 
and  will  you  allow  it?"  "No!"  came  in  deep  chorus 
from  the  multitude.  One  man  went  about  constantly 
repeating  in  a  loud  voice  :  "And  he  that  stealeth  a  man 
and  selleth  him,  if  he  be  found  in  his  hand  he  shall 
surely  be  put  to  death" — Ex.  21:16.  At  least  an  omin- 
ous text.  Sheriff  J.  S.  Cornell,  standing  the  prisoner 
on  the  steps,  commenced  the  sale :  "  How  much  for  this 
man?"  The  bidding  was  dull.  The  feeling  was  so  high 
that  those  who  had  intended  to  invest  in  the  colored 
chattel  concluded  that  it  would  be  a  profitless  investment. 
He  was  finally  struck  down  to  Dr.  Seeley  for  three  dol- 
lars, the  only  slave  the  Doctor  ever  bought  in  his  life. 
He  was  his  own  for  the  time,  and  as  he  could  set  him  at 
any  work,  he  decided  to  set  him  traveling  toward 
liberty.  The  dark  man  was  willing,  and  bidding  good- 
bye to  his  new  acquaintances  at  the  capital  of  Kendall 
county,  he  set  out  on  a  successful  trip  to  Canada.  And 
so  ended  our  first  and  last  slave  auction. 


CHAPTER  XXXVl. 


THE    COUNTY    SEAT. 


f  LTHOUGH  Peter  Lott  was,  in  1845,  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  from  Adams 
county,  our  representative  was  Georofe  W. 
Armstrong,  and  no  less  than  four  several 
petitions  were  sent  in  by  him,  praying  for 
an  addition  to  Kendall  county  from  the  bor- 
ders of  DeKalb  and  LaSalle.  Our  people 
felt  it  to  be  unfair  that  these  two  counties  should  have 
fifty  townships  between  them  while  Kendall  had  but 
nine.  Nor  could  it  be  said  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
territory  proposed  to  be  annexed  were  altogether  averse, 
for  one  of  the  petitions  was  from  the  coveted  township 
in  DeKalb,  and  another  was  signed  by  sixtv-nine  voters 
in  LaSalle.  The  addition  would  have  given  us  Sandwich 
and  Somonauk,  and  the  towns  of  Northville  and  Mission. 
But  the  petitions  were  denied,  and  as  a  consequence  the 
dwellers  just  over  the  line  in  LaSalle  are  twice  as  far 
from  their  own  county  seat  as  they  are  from  ours.  The 
committee  probably  thought  that  overgrown  county,  with 
its  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  miles  of  coast  line,  would 
not  cut  up  well  if  only  thirty  townships  were  left  to  it. 
But  it  is  well — moderate  sized  families  are  generally  the 


THE  LATTER  DAY  SAINTS.  249 

happiest.  And  then  there  are  thirteen  counties  in  the 
State  still  smaller  than  Kendall,  and  two,  Gallatin  and 
DuPage,  the  same  size.  Hardin  and  Putnam  are  but 
about  one-half  as  large.  Eighteen  hundred  and  forty- 
five  is  the  limit  usually  assigned  to  the  privilege  of 
being  an  old  settler.  The  following  are  prominent  per- 
sons who  came  in  that  year  :  In  Na-au-say,  L.  M.  and 
II.  P.  Whitlock,  Mr.  Smith,  Christopher  Stryker.  In 
Fox.  Ransom  Whiner,  John  Thomas.  In  Lisbon,  F.  0. 
Alford.  In  Bristol,  John  Smith.  In  Oswego,  F.  Cofl&n, 
Preston  Burr,  Martin  Hinchman,  G.  Danford,  John  B. 
Hunt,  Daniel  Hunt,  William  and  Dwight  Ladd,  Laures- 
ton  and  Seth  Walker.  In  Big  Grove,  Henry  Bingham, 
S.  C.  Sleezer,  Isaac  and  Peter  S.  Lott,  C.  C.  Thune- 
man,  David  and  Simeon  Brown.  The  latter  settled  on 
the  shore  of  ihe  beautiful  Chatauqua  Lake  in  New  York 
in  1817,  when  the  country  was  a  wilderness,  and  lived 
there  twenty-eight  years.  They  thus  have  been  twice 
pioneers,  and  have  helped  settle  two  new  countries.  At 
Newark,  William  0.  Clark,  a  Latter  Day  Saints  preacher 
from  Ottawa,  held  meetings  in  the  precinct-house  every 
evening  for  four  weeks,  and  a  society  of  thirty-nine 
members  was  formed,  bidding  fair  to  become  a  strong 
church  ;  but  emigration  set  in,  and  nearly  all  rem.oved 
to  homes  further  west.  There  was  yet,  however,  miles 
and  miles  of  unbroken  prairie  in  our  county,  and  some 
of  it  is  still  government  land.  In  Newark  all  was  prai- 
rie sod  east  of  D.  C.  Cleveland's,  and  after  passing  Big 
Grove,  going  towards  Plainfield  for  ten  miles,  there  was 

not  a  house  or  fence.     Seth   Sleezer  in   crossing   that 
17 


250  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

prairie  caught  seven  young  wolves,  and  brought  them  to 
town  for  exhibition. 

During  the  season  Titus  Howe  built  the  Yorkville 
dam.  It  was  a  favorable  time,  as  the  summer  was  very 
warm  and  dry,  and  the  river  low.  There  was  no  rain  in 
this  vicinity  from  May  to  December.  It  was  thus  a 
direct  contrast  to  the  preceding  summer  which  had  been 
a  time  of  heavy  floods.  Yet  there  was  water  enough  to 
drown,  for  that  season  William  Bidmead  and  a  companion 
were  drowned  in  the  river  at  Bristol. 

Pearce's  graveyard,  a  mile  east  of  town,  was  estab- 
lished in  1845.  The  first  one  buried  was  Josephine,  a 
little  daughter  of  Henry  A.  Clarke. 

Doud's  burying  ground,  two  miles  from  town  opened 
about  the  same  time-  Mrs.  Daniel  Hubbard  was  the 
first  buried  there. 

The  Holderman  school,  Big  Grove,  began  about  1845. 
The  early  teachers  were  Frank  Barber,  William  Cody, 
Mr.  Carpenter,  Mr.  Allison,  Mary  and  Eliza  Knox. 

The  Davis  scliool  house,  in  Oswego,  was  built  in  1845, 
and  following  is  a  list  of  the  teachers  :  Messrs.  Charles 
Smith,  Scott,  Derby,  E.  W.  Barnes,  N.  Gaylord,  Shib- 
ley,  Vinson,  Updyke,  J.  Burnet,  and  Misses  Andrews, 
Drew,  M.  and  S.  Flanders,  Rich,  Wood,  Houser,  Miles, 
and  Murray. 

An  effort  was  made  to  have  regular  preaching  in  the 
school  house  in  town,  where  also  court  was  held.  A  pub- 
lic meeting  was  called,  but  after  long  talking  they  could 
not  agree,  and  the  project  failed.  Most  of  those  who 
put  their  names  on  the  subscription  list,  signed  three 
dollars  each — a  larger  sum  in  those  days  than  it  is  now. 


INTRODUCTION  OF  REAPERS.  251 

Before  harvest,  Murray  and  Bullard  introduced  the 
first 

MC  CORMICK  REAPER 

into  the  county,  and  it  did  good  work,  but  was  hard  on 
man  and  beast.  It  was  a  heavy  load  for  four  horses,  and 
that  without  the  driver  riding,  for  with  the  first  machines, 
the  one  who  raked  off  was  obliged  to  walk.  About  the 
same  time,  the  Woodward  reaper,  pushed  before  the 
team,  was  also  used.  The  appearance  of  these  im- 
proved and  costly  machines  was  evidence  that  the 
keen  edsje  of  the  hard  times  was  turned.  The  travel 
was  immense,  both  of  emigrants  passing  through  and  of 
farmers  going  to  the  lake  with  their  grain.  At  Piatt's 
tavern,  one  morning,  forty  wagons  were  counted — part 
going  west,  but  more  going  to  Chicago.  Farmers  came 
with  their  produce  from  a  hundred  miles  below.  Such 
long  journeys,  however,  were  expensive,  and  though  tav- 
ern rates  Avere  but  from  fifty  cents  to  one  dollar  a  night 
for  man  and  team,  yet  often  the  farmer  had  little  left 
when  he  reached  home.  Another  sort  of  travel  was 
going  on  briskly,  too — that  of  the 

UNDERGROUND  RAILROAD, 

which  ran  on  top  of  the  ground.  An  intensely  interest- 
ing volume  might  be  written  on  this  subject.  The  fugi- 
tives came  mostly  from  the  southwestern  States,  by  St. 
Louis  and  the  Missouri  border,  and  having  once  found  a 
friend  on  the  Illinois  side,  they  were  taken  from  point  to 
point  to  Chicago  and  the  lake  ports,  and  from  there  by 
friendly  captains  around  the  lakes  to  Canada.  Edward 
Wright,  living  at  Lisbon,  hitched  up  his  team  and  took 
a  slave,  through  the  night,  to  Joliet,  taking  care  to  leave 


252  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

before  the  neighbors  were  up,  lest  the  "depot"  should 
be  suspected.  Two  panting  fugitives  came  to  Yorkville. 
They  had  hired  as  hands  on  a  boat  from  St.  Louis  up  the 
Illinois  river,  and  at  Peru  made  their  escape.  They  were 
pursued  by  two  men,  who  arrested  them  at  Yorkville,  and 
would  have  them  held  until  a  warrant  could  arrive  from 
Newark — for  it  seems  there  was  a  Newark  Justice  inhu- 
man enough  to  lend  himself  to  the  business.  But  before 
the  process  could  be  served,  the  slaves  were  gone.  A 
wagon  was  w^aiting  on  the  edge  of  the  town  to  take  them 
beyond  Bristol,  from  whence  they  were  taken  to  St. 
Charles,  and  so  on  to  freedom.  Loud  and  bitter  curses 
and  a  law  suit  followed,  but  it  came  to  nothing.  Another 
fugitive  was  brought  from  New  Orleans  by  a  Cincinnati 
merchant,  and  was  covered  with  scars.  He  learned  to 
read  the  Bible  during  the  little  while  he  was  on  the  way. 
Petitions  praying  a  repeal  of 

THE  NEGRO  LAWS 

continued  to  pour  into  the  Legislature ;  one  from  Chi- 
cago was  several  feet  long  and  had  eight  hundred  signa- 
tures.  When  they  first  began  to  come,  they  were  quietly 
laid  on  the  table,  or  postponed  "  until  the  Fourth  of 
July,"  but  still  they  came,  and  a  special  committee  was 
appointed  to  take  charge  of  them.  The  majority  of  the 
committee  recommended  a  modification  of  the  laws,  but 
the  report  was  not  accepted.  A  minority  report  was 
accepted  and  printed.     It  begins  with  saying  : 

"  The  various  petitions,  though  they  do  not  precisely 
agree  in  phraseology,  are  all  intended  to  accomplish  the 
same  object,  which  is  to  remove  all  distinctions  in  law 
and  civil  society   between   the  white  population  of  our 


COUNTY    SEAT    REMOVAL.  253 

own  State  and  the  African  race.  The  motions  of  the 
petitioners  may  be  dictated  by  the  purest  benevolence  and 
the  most  patriotic  feelings,  but  the  undersigned  are  firmly 
impressed  with  the  belief  that  they  are  governed  by  erro- 
neous views  and  false  notions  of  philanthropy.  *  * 
By  nature,  education  and  association,  it  is  believed  that 
the  negro  is  inferior  to  the  white  man,  physically,  mor- 
ally and  intellectually ;  whether  this  be  true  to  the  ful- 
lest extent,  matters  not,  when  we  take  into  consideration 
the  fact  that  such  is  the  opinion  of  the  vast  majority  of 
our  citizens  !" 

The  date  of  this   State  paper  is   not  B.  C.  800,  but 
February  21,  1845. 

Probably,  however,  the  most  exciting  issue  in  Kendall 
county  during  the  year  was  concerning  the 

REMOVAL  OF  THE  COUNTY  SEAT 

from  Yorkville  to  Oswego.  The  subject  had  been  agi- 
tated for  some  time,  and  in  January  a  petition  with  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  signatures  was  sent  to  the  Leg- 
islature, praying  for  the  removal.  This  number  was 
increased  in  a  few  days  to  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
names,  and  was  followed  two  weeks  after  by  another 
petition  to  the  same  efi"ect,  with  sixty-seven  signatures. 
The  energy  thus  displayed  resulted  in  the  passage  of 
"  a  bill  for  the  permanent  location  of  the  seat  of  justice 
in  Kendall  county,"  allowing  it  to  go  before  the  people 
on  the  first  Monday  in  August.  It  was  a  busy  time 
with  farmers,  yet  such  another  election  had  never  been 
held  here.  Each  side  exerted  their  utmost  strength. 
Oswego,  with  the  highest  generosity,  set  a  free  table,  in 
the  stone  building  above  the  depot,  and  kept  fifty  teams 


254 


HISTORY    OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 


runniug  all  day  carrying  voters.  A  second  election  was 
required,  however,  and  then  Oswego  won.  Their  first 
court  was  held  in  the  old  National  Hotel,  Judge  Caton 
presiding. 

Kendall  county  in  1845  raised  ninety  bushels  of 
wheat  and  one  hundred  bushels  of  corn  to  every  man, 
woman  and  child  in  the  county.  The  population  was 
5,400. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIl 


THE  MEXICAN  WAR. 


IGHTEEN  hundred  and  forty-six  was 
the  year  of  the  invention  of  the  sewing 
machine,  by  Elias  Howe,  of  Connecti- 
cut ;  the  3^ear  of  the  admission  of  Wis- 
consin :  of  the  battle  of  Nauvoo,  in  Han- 


cock county,  and  the  first  jear  of  the 
Mexican  war.  There  was  much  sickness 
during  the  summer,  so  that  in  some  localities  it  is  still 
remembered  as  ''the  sickly  season."  Among  those  who 
died  in  this  county  were  John  Matlock,  Rulief  Duryea, 
and  Moses  Booth — three  of  our  oldest  pioneers.  In  the 
spring,  the  first  piece  of  strap  iron  was  laid  on  the  line 
of  ihe  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  R.  R.,  the  pioneer  road  of 
Northern  Illinois.  The  difficulty  of  getting  produce  to 
market  kept  prices  low,  and  could  only  be  overcome  by 


PRICES  OF  COUNTRY  PRODUCE.         255 

railroads.  In  the  autumn  of  1846,  in  Chicago,  prices 
were  as  follows  :  Wheat,  50  cents  ;  oats,  17  cents  ;  corn, 
23  cents ;  pork,  $1.50  ;  beef,  $2.25 ;  lard,  4  cents ; 
butter,  9  cents ;  cheese,  6  cents  ;  potatoes,  31  cents ; 
wood,  $3.50  ;  turkeys,  50  cents  ;  salt,  $1.87.  The  canal 
was  nearly  completed,  and  was  expected  to  afford  much 
relief.  A  smaller  canal  was  in  anticipation,  as  a  feeder, 
from  Fox  river  across  Kendall  county  to  the  Illinois  ; 
but  though  the  route  was  surveyed,  the  work  was  never 
begun. 

On  May  16th,  the 

OSWEGO  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH 

was  organized  by  Rev.  Hope  Brown.  The  constituent 
members  were  Josiah  Walker,  Seth  Walker,  Orlando 
Walker  and  wife,  E.  Jackman,  Paulina  Richmond  and 
Mary  G.  Fenton.  The  pastors  have  been  :  J.  W.  Brown, 
E.  B.  Coleman,  Russell  Whiting,  J.  Van  Anthrup,  Rob- 
ert Budd,  Robert  Brown,  Mr.  Wilhelm,  D.  J.  Baldwin, 
J.  A.  Cruzan,  Jonathan  Waddams  and  H.  D.  Wiard. 
The  meeting  house  was  built  in  1847. 
The  celebrated 

UNION  SCHOOL 

of  Na-au-say,  dates  from  this  year.  The  house  was 
built  by  subscription,  and  was  undoubtodly  the  best 
school  building  in  the  county.  The  early  teachers  were: 
William  B.  Richardson,  Jas.  G.  Andrews,  Sarah  A. 
Andrews,  H.  S.  Towne,  A.  S.  Westcott,  Miss  Gleason, 
Theodore  L.  De  Land,  Deborah  Shepard  and  Frances 
A.  Whiting. 

The  well   known  ''Na-au-say  Invincibles"   debating 
society  was  organized  here  in  1872.      S.  J.  Van  Dor- 


256  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

ston,  A.  R.  Thompson  and  brother,  and  Guy  C.  Wheeler 
were  among  the  prime  originators  and  supporters  of  it, 
and  their  unswerving  energy  has  demonstrated  what  can 
in  this  line  be  done  in  a  purely  farming  community. 

MILLBROOK  SCHOOL. 

In  1840,  Royal  Builard  built  a  little  house  on  his 
place  and  rented  it  to  Mr.  See,  an  Englishman,  who 
occupied  it  one  year.  In  1841,  Mr.  Builard  taught 
school  in  it.  J.  S.  and  R.  K.  Bibbins  and  Levi  Brain- 
ard  were  among  the  scholars.  The  next  year  Maria 
Lester  taught  the  school.  In  1846  the  school  house  was 
built  at  Millbrook,  and  George  and  Daniel  Ross,  Miss 
A,  Ingalls,  Miss  Carlton,  James  Ward  and  Sarah  Ball 
were  among  the  early  teachers. 

THE    OSWEGO    CEMETERY 

was  laid  off  and  donated  to  the  village  about  1835,  by 
Morris  Gray,  L.  B.  Judson  and  L.  F.  Arnold,  who 
owned  the  land.  It  was  where  the  Baptist  Church  now 
stands.  About  1846  it  was  included  in  Loucks'  and 
Judson's  addition  to  Oswego,  when  Mr.  Judson  opened 
another  burying  ground  in  his  grove,  which  is  now  used. 
The  remains  in  the  old  yard  were  gradually  transferred 
to  the  new  one,  until  it  was  vacated.  In  1876,  M.  J. 
Richards,  who  had  bought  Mr.  Judson's  farm,  conveyed 
the  cemetery  to  the  Oswego  Cemetery  Association,  which 
had  just  been  formed,  and  a  considerable  amount  has 
already  been  expended  in  fencing  and  clearing  up.  They 
now  propose  to  add  gravel  walks. 

The  officers  are :  President,  Rev.  Henry  Minard ; 
Vice  President,  C.  L.  Roberts ;  Secretary,  L.  N.  Hall ; 
Treasurer,  David  Hall. 


ELECTION    ON    STATE    CONSTITUTION.  257 

The  Piano  cemetery  was  platted  February  5th,  1846, 
by  Almon  Ives.  The  first  burial  was  a  son  of  William 
Ryan.  Mr.  Favor  was  buried  about  the  same  time. 
But  that  was  seven  years  before  Piano  was  founded. 

FEDERAL    OFFICERS. 

The  county  postmasters  in  1846  were:  Oswego,  W.  D. 
Parke ;  Bristol,  James  Noble  ;  Penfield,  Josiah  Lehman ; 
Little  Rock,  L.  D.  Brady  ;  Newark,  Walter  Stowell ; 
Lisbon,  Thomas  J.  Cody  ;   Aux  Sable,  Alanson  Milks. 

August  16th,  1846,  an  election  was  held  for  or  against 
a  new  State  constitution.  There  was  a  large  majority 
for  it  throughout  the  State,  but  this  county  went  against 
it  five  hundred  to  four  hundred  and  forty-six.  The  entire 
population  of  the  county  at  the  time  was  about  fifty-six 
hundred,  of  whom  three  were  colored,  and  there  were 
two  hundred  more  men  than  women.  Their  sawing  and 
grinding  was  done  by  fourteen  saw  and  grist  mills.  The 
Millington  grist  mill  was  built  in  1845  by  J.  P.  Black 
and  Samuel  Jackson. 

THE    MEXICAN   WAR 

commenced  early  in  1846.  A  call  was  issued  for  fifty 
thousand  volunteers  to  serve  for  one  year,  and  thereupon 
a  mass  meeting  was  called  in  the  school  house,  used  for 
a  court  house,  in  Oswego.  A.  R.  Dodge  and  A.  B. 
Smith  spoke,  but  not  many  enlisted  at  first.  During 
the  following  days,  however,  some  fifty  volunteers  were 
obtained,  and  were  known  as  ''  Capt,  Dodge's  Company." 
The  neighbors  volunteered  to  take  them  by  team  to 
Peoria,  from  which  point  they  went  by  boat  to  Alton, 
where  the  company  was  made  up  to  its  full  number  and 


258  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

marked  as  Company  E,  2nd  Illinois.  Thence  they  went 
by  boat  to  New  Orleans,  and  from  there  marched  over- 
land through  Texas.  Following  are  seventeen  of  the 
names  :  A.  H.  Kellogg,  William  Sprague.  David  W. 
Carpenter,  John  Sanders,  John  Roberts,  George  Roberts, 
Aaron  Fields,  Edward  Fields,  James  Lewis,  Dr.  Reuben 
Poindexter,  William  Joyce,  Benjamin  Van  Doozer,  Wil- 
liam Potter,  Mr  Tucker,  Mr.  Hunt,  Mr.  Hatch  and 
Mr.  Sheldon. 

They  arrived  at  the  seat  of  war  late  in  the  fall,  and 
on  February  23d,  1847,  participated  in  the  terrible  bat- 
tle of  Buena  Vista,  which  lasted  all  day  and  resulted  in 
a  victory  for  the  American  army,  and  a  total  loss  on 
both  sides  of  nearly  three  thousand  men.  David  Car- 
penter and  John  Sanders  are  the  only  members  of  that 
company  now  living  in  this  county.  They  were  mus- 
tered out  in  Mexico,  and  arrived  home  July  17th,  1847. 

When  their  term  of  service  had  expired,  another  com- 
pany was  raised  by  Mr.  Fullerton.  Among  the  names 
were :  James  Nelson,  Hiram  Burdick,  James  Boss,  Jo- 
seph Wilson,  Vernon  Hopkins,  "  Hickory  Bill,"  D.  C. 
Kennedy,  John  A.  Yeigh.  The  last  two  enlisted  in 
Aurora,  but  are  now  living  in  this  county.  No  surviv- 
ing members  of  Capt.  Fullerton's  company,  who  went 
from  this  county,  are  known.  They  did  not,  however, 
reach  Mexico  in  time  to  do  much  fighting,  before  the 
war  closed,  and  Uncle  Sam  had  lost  some  of  his  boys 
but  increased  his  farm. 

THE  YEAR  1847 

was  signalized  by  its  being  the  date  of  the  first  proposi- 
tion for  a  Pacific  railroad.     Mr.  Whitney,  of  New  York, 


THE   FIRST   TELEGRAPH.  259 

laid  the  proposition  before  Congress.  It  was  favorably 
reported  on  by  our  Senator,  Hon.  Sidney  Breese,  called 
forth  the  encomiums  of  our  Legislature,  was  the  subject 
of  petitions  from  Michigan,  whence  the  proposed  trans- 
continental railroad  was  to  start,  and,  indeed,  the  nation 
was  thrilled.  And  this,  too,  without  the  attraction  of 
the  gold  mines,  then  on  the  eve  of  being  discovered. 
But  the  financial  winds  did  not  favorably  blow,  and  the 
project  slept. 

Early  in  the  winter,  the  newly  invented  telegraph 
tremblingly  knocked  at  our  doors  for  admission,  and  it 
was  finally  granted  in  "an  act  granting  the  right  of  way 
to  S.  F.  B.  Morse  and  his  associates  through  this  State 
for  his  Electro  Magnetic  Telegraph."  Verily,  what  hath 
thirty  years  brought  forth  ! 

The  Mormon  war  at  Nauvoo  was  finally  closed  up  at 
a  cost  to  the  State  of  nearly  forty  thousand  dollars. 

The  convention  for  the  revision  of  the  constitution  sat 
at  Springfield  from  June  7th  to  the  end  of  August.  John 
West  Mason  was  the  delegate  from  Kendall  county. 

Augustus  C.  French  took  his  seat  as  Governor,  in 
place  of  Thomas  Ford,  who  could  retire  saying,  "•  With- 
out being  wasteful,  I  retire  from  office  poorer  than  I 
came  in." 

A  ripple  of 

LOCAL  EXCITEMENT 

was  created  early  in  the  year,  by  an  attempt  to  consoli- 
date Kendall  county  with  Grundy.  It  originated  with 
the  people  living  along  the  line  of  the  two  counties,  but 
the  alarm  quickly  spread,  and  petitions  with  five  hun- 
dred and  fifty-three  names  attached  were  sent  to  the  Leg- 


260  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

islature,  remonstrating  against  any  change,  and  so  the 
matter  ended.  Eternal  vigilance  was  the  price  of  county 
existence  in  those  days.  Toward  the  close  of  the  year, 
small-pox  broke  out  about  Newark,  and  carried  off  sev- 
eral victims;  among  them,  Asahel  Lewis,  Esq.,  and 
Mrs.  Henry  Newton  and  child.  But  it  did  not  spread 
to  any  extent  into  the  surrounding  country,  which  was 
an  additional  cause  for  gratitude  on  December  16th,  the 
official  Thanksgiving  Day. 

In  the  spring,  Truman  Mudgett  opened 

A  BREWERY 

in  the  stone  building  by  the  track  in  Oswego — the  first 
institution  of  the  kind  in  the  county.  But  the  soil  was 
not  congenial,  and  it  ran  only  a  few  seasons.  Ten  years 
afterwards  another  and  more  pretentious  one  was  erected 
on  the  east  edge  of  town,  but  that,  too,  finally  became  a 
financial  failure,  and  the  building  is  now  occupied  by 
W.  H.  McConnel  as  a  butter  factory — milk  instead  of 
barley,  and  butter  instead  of  beer.  And  both  cows  and 
men  are  the  gainers.  There  is  now  neither  brewery  nor 
distillery  within  the  limits  of  Kendall  county. 

Torkle  Henderson,  a  well  known  Norwegian  settler, 
made  his  claim  on  the  prairie  east  of  Nels  0.  Cassem's, 
and  became  the  nucleus  for  a  large  number  of  his  Nor- 
wegian countrymen.  He  was  not  the  first,  for  Nels. 
Oleson,  Chris.  Johnson,  and  one  or  two  others  were  on 
the  prairie  before  him  ;  but  from  that  time  the  Norwe- 
gian settlement  dates  its  growth,  until  now  they  are  num- 
erous enough  to  maintain  two  churches  and  two  or  three 
schools. 

In  the  Minkler  district,  town  of  Kendall,  anew  frame 


SCHOOLS    AND    SCHOOL    HOUSES.  261 

school  house  was  built.  There  had  been  two  log  school 
houses  before  it.  In  the  first,  opened  in  1835,  Lodemia 
and  Marj  Luce,  James  Butler  and  James  Hubbard 
taught.  The  second  was  built  in  1837,  and  had  the  fol- 
lowing teachers  :  Almon  Ashley,  Wesley  W.  Winn,  W. 
W.  Van  Emmon,  Harmon  Minkler,  Mary  Stockton, 
Miss  Judson,  Malvina  Ashley,  Rosina  Morgan,  Alice 
Ashley,  Miss  Hill,  Lizzie  Winn,  Isila  Springer,  Hannah 
Beecher,  W.  K.  Beans,  Samuel  Kerr,  Fred.  Church, 
Mr.  White,  Mr.  McCroskey,  Mr.  Mason  and  Mrs.  Hoyt. 
The  new  frame  school  has  been  running  thirty  years, 
and  the  following  is  a  partial  list  of  the  teachers  :  P.  C. 
Royce,  Mr.  Goodhue,  Miss  Drew,  Miss  Walker,  Lode- 
mia Morgan,  Theodore  Hurd,  Wm.  Minard,  John  Dodge 
and  Miss  Harkness. 

The  Asbury  school  is  just  over  the  line  in  LaSalle, 
but  is  patronized  by  Kendall.  The  house  was  built  in 
1847,  and  was  named  from  the  post-office  near  by.  The 
early  teachers  were:  F.  W.  Partridge,  Elizabeth  Fisk, 
Eugene  Coe,  Amelia  Smith,  Mary  Bosworth,  Mary 
Brown,  Alexander  White,  Mary  Scott,  James  Mead,  Sarah 
Densmore,  John  Newman,  Angeline  Smith,  Mr.  Kern 
Jane  Knight,  and  George  Corcoran. 

At  the  Bronk  school,  Na-au-say,  the  first  teachers 
were  Benj.  F.  Vandervoort,  Philander  Royce,  Joseph 
Hall,   Mr.  Holliday,  Parker  Holden,  and  James  Hunt. 

The  well  known 

RED  SCHOOL  HOUSE, 

in  Big  Grove,  was  built  in  1847,  and  lasted  twenty-nine 
years,  before  it  was  displaced  in  1876  by  a  better  one  and 
sold  to  the  township  for  a  town  house.     It  gave  shelter, 


262  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY. 

therefore,  to  nearly  sixty  terms  of  school,  besides  spelling 
schools,  lectures,  shows,  exhibitions,  festivals,  elections, 
caucuses,  Sunday  schools,  preaching,  prayer  meetings, 
singing  schools,  and  all  the  other  public  gatherings  which 
usually  accumulate  during  a  thirty  years'  experience  in 
the  center  of  a  thickly  populated  township.  The  house 
was  the  successor  of  the  "  Old  Log  Church,''  that  stood 
near  by.  The  following  are  the  names  of  a  few  of  its 
teachers :  Miss  Day,  Wm.  Cody,  I.  N.  Brown,  Mary  A. 
Brown,  Hiram  Scofield,  and  Frank  Taylor.  The  new 
school  house  is  a  fine  building,  costing  $1,200,  and  is  an 
ornament  to  the  town.  It  wnll  be  many  years  before  it 
draws  the  sarcasm  which  the  last  years  of  the  old  one 
drew. 


CHAPTER  XXXVllI. 


SCHOOLS    AND    CHURCHES. 

rEARLY  seven  hundred  persons  died  of 
cholera  in  Chicago  during  the  year  1848. 
It  was  a  "  cholera  vear."  The  Illinois 
and  Michigan  Canal  was  completed  from 
.Chicago  to  LaSalle,  and  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  greatest  achievements  of 
skill  in  the  world.  It  had  certainly  been 
a  triumph  over  immense  financial  obstacles.  But  the 
year  is  best  remembered  as  the  date  of  adoption  of  our 
second  State  Constitution.  It  was  adopted  by  a  very 
large  majority,  and  went  into  operation  April  1st.  By 
it  the  counties  of  DuPao^e,  Kendall.  Will  and  Iroquois 
constituted  the  fifteenth  representative  district  and  the 
twenty-first  senatorial  district.  At  an  election  held  the 
first  Monday  in  September,  T.  Lyle  Dickey  was  elected 
Circuit  Judge  for  six  years,  William  S.  Fowler  was 
elected  Sheriff,  and  following  is  a  list  of  all  our  Sheriffs 
to  the  present:  R.  D.  Miller,  C.  D.  Townsend,  M. 
Beaupre,  H.  M.  Day,  Jonathan  Raymond,  Wright  Mur- 
phy, Dwight  Ladd,  A.  D.  Newton,  J.  A.  Newell,  Jonas 
Seeley,  J.  D.  Kern.  At  the  Presidential  election 
one     thousand    three    hundred    and    seventeen    votes 


264  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COL'NTY. 

were  cast  in  the  county.  About  that  time  country 
towns  in  this  part  of  the  West  had  attained  to  their 
greatest  prosperity,  just  before  railroads  entered  to  divert 
the  trade  from  points  where  the  grandfathers  settled  to 
other  points  which  the  grandchildren  founded.  There 
were  two  taverns  and  half  a  dozen  stores  in  Newark; 
three  taverns  and  nine  stores  in  Oswego,  and  a  propor- 
tionate number  in  our  other  villages,  and  all  doing  a 
good  business. 

In  Little  Rock  as  many  as  two  hundred  and  seventy 
teams  have  passed  on  one  road  in  one  day,  most  of  them 
going  to  or  returning  from  Chicago  with  produce.  The 
tavern  at  Little  Rock  village  was  kept  by  Ephraim 
Buck,  and  was  a  noted  point.  It  was  first  kept  in  1838 
by  Mr.  Inscho,  then  successively  by  Arnold  Dodge, 
Wareham  Gates  and  Robert  Matthews. 

Oswego  drew  considerable  trade  and  machine  work 
from  Aurora.  The  bridge  across  Fox  river  was  built 
that  year,  and  N.  A.  Rising's  saw  mill,  opposite  the  grist 
mill.  Mr.  Rising  ran  two  mills  and  his  store  for  several 
years,  until  he  sold  to  Mr.  Parker  in  1852. 

At  Lisbon  the  Methodist  Church  was  built.  Followinor 
are  the  names  of  the  subsequent  pastors :  William  Royal, 
D.  Fellows,  Mr.  Sudduth,  W.  P.  Golliday,  W.  P. 
Wright,  N.  Keegan,  George  Wallace,  Joseph  Eames,  C. 
S.  Macreading,  J.  Borbige,  R.  Wake,  J.  W.  Phelps,  G. 
W.  Hawks,  Thomas  Cochran,  W.  R.  Hoadley  and  Mr. 
Winslow.     The  church  became  a  station  in  1857. 

THE  OSWEGO  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

was  organized  May  24th,  1848.  The  constituent  mem- 
bers were  Justin  Lee,  George  I.  Smith,  F.  B.  Ives,  M. 


A    PRIMITIVE    MARRIAGE.  265 

M.  Forbes,  Nahum  Parkhurst,  Giles  Doan,  Delany 
Smith,  Mary  Lyons,  Frances  Ives,  and  Sibyl  Lee.  The 
church  building  was  erected  in  1856.  The  following  is 
a  list  of  the  pastors :  Ambler  Edson,  L.  P.  Ives,  R.  A. 
Clapp,  F.  Kent,  Edwin  Bruce,  S.  A.  Estee,  Charles 
Button,  Mr.  Storrs,  E.  H.  Sawyer,  E.  A.  Ince,  J.  T. 
Green,  J.  H.  Sampson,  and  Alfred  Watts.  At  Plattville, 
John  Boyer  gave  to  the  town  the  piece  of  land  on  which 
the  cemetery  is  situated.  Mrs.  Sylvester  Slyter  was  the 
•first  one  buried  there.  That  year  the  Plattville  school 
house,  east  of  the  village,  burned  down.  No  one  knew 
it  until  the  ashes  were  seen  in  the  morning.  In  Little 
Rock  village  a  new  school  house  was  built. 

William  Glasspool  was  the  first  school  master  in  the 
first  log  school  house,  in  1839.  One  year  before,  one 
cold  winter's  night,  by  the  light  of  an  open  fireplace,  he 
was  married  to  Polly  Cook,  by  Wm.  Mulkey,  Justice  of 
the  Peace.  And  the  marriage  was  as  happy  a  one  as  if 
silks  and  kids  had  greeted  the  occasion.  The  log  house 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1840,  since  which  time  school 
has  been  kept  in  a  room  fitted  up  for  the  purpose.  The 
second  department  was  added  in  1858.  The  early  teach- 
ers were  Wm.  Glasspool,  Susan  Lamson,  Mahala  P.  Fay, 
Harriet  Leigh,  Hannah  Tenney,  Sarah  A.  Frink,  Miss 
S.  Densmore,  William  Knickerbocker,  Ira  A.  W.  Buck, 
Leonard  Benjamin,  and  Miss  0.  N.  Todd. 

The  following  schools  date  from  1848.  In  the  Foster 
school,  Little  Rock,  the  early  teachers  were  Prof.  G.  B. 
Charles,  Mary  Ann  Carver,  and  Hannah  Tenney.  The 
house  is  not  now  used. 

In  the  Austin  school,  Fox,  the  early  teachers  were 

18 


266  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Sarah  Raymond,  Edward  and  Esther  Bullard,  Mary 
Van  Osdel,  and  Lois  Marston.  Two  years  previously 
a  log  building  was  donated  to  the  district  by  James 
Murrray,  and  school  held  in  it — taught  first  by  Kate 
Fleming. 

Atherton  school,  Fox,  was  first  started  on  the  Solfis- 
berg  place,  Long  Grove,  in  1848  or  1849  and  was  taught 
by  Mr.  Davis.  In  1850  it  was  moved  down  to  the  big 
knoll,  and  Geo.  M.  HoUenback,  Sarah  and  Adelaide 
Ives,  and  George  Ryan  were  the  teachers.  About  1852 
it  was  moved  up  on  the  hill,  on  C.  R.  Cook's  land,  and 
finally,  about  1867,  it  was  moved  to  its  present  location. 

In  the  Ware  school,  Seward,  the  early  teachers  were 
Mary  Jane  Goodhue,  William  Ely,  Miss  Berry,  Miss  Fra- 
zer,  and  Miss  R.  M.  Arthur.  The  latter  tauojht  several 
years.  In  1845,  school  was  kept  in  a  log  house  on 
Edward  Jones'  place,  by  Mr.  Maxwell,  who  afterward 
became  a  noted  man  in  Russia. 

The  present  records  of  the 

BRISTOL  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

date  only  from  1848,  at  which  time  the  church  was  reor- 
ganized ;  but  the  first  organization  dates  from  about  1836, 
when  the  Pavilion  church  was  transferred  entire  to  Bris- 
tol. After  some  time,  it  seemed  proper  for  the  church 
to  separate  and  "become  two  bands,"  and  the  Pavilion 
organization  was  again  resumed.  The  meeting  house  at 
Bristol  was  built  in  1857.  Rev.  Z.  Brooks  was  the  pas- 
tor in  1848,  followed  by  Ambler  Edson,  John  Young, 
and  William  Haigh.  In  1861  the  latter  went  as  chap- 
lain in  the  army,  and  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  William 
T.  Hill  and  Ebenezer  Gale.     Mr.  Hill  was  ordained  in 


AUTHORITY  TO  BORROW  MONEY.        267 

1865,  and  went  away.  He  was  followed  by  M.  M. 
Danforth,  Jonas  Woodward,  A.  A.  Bennett,  0.  P.  Bes- 
tor  and  F.  M.  Smith. 

THE  YEAR  1849 

was  marked  by  another  county  contest.  The  Board  of 
County  Commissioners,  just  before  their  extinction  by 
the  elections  for  Supervisors  in  the  fall,  wanted  to  bor- 
row money  for  county  purposes,  but  had  not  the  author- 
ity without  Legislative  sanction.  For  this  they  applied. 
But  there  was  considerable  opposition  to  the  movement, 
and  seventy  names  were  secured  to  a  remonstrance, 
which  was  forwarded  to  Springfield.  It  was  unsuccess- 
ful, however,  and  the  county  fathers  got  their  permission 
to  borrow  money. 

The  following  is  a  further  list  of  our 

COUNTY  OFFICERS, 

beginning  with  those  elected  at  the  above  election : 
County  Judges — J.  W.  Helmer,  Benjamin  Ricketson 
and  Henry  J.  Hudson  ;  Circuit  Clerks — A.  B.  Smith, 
J.  M.  Crothers,  George  M.  Hollenback,  A.  M.  Hobbs 
and  L.  G.  Bennett :  County  Clerks — J.  A.  Fenton, 
Geo.  W.  Hartwell,  J.  Cole  and  Jeremiah  Evarts ; 
Treasurers — J.  J.  Cole,  Asahel  Newton,  H.  S.  Hum- 
phry, R.  W.  Cams,  J.  C.  Taylor,  M.  S.  Cornell  and 
T.  S.  Serrine  ;  School  Superintendents — Rev.  Ambler 
Edson,  Ephraim  Moulton,  John  Van  Antwerp,  John 
McKinney,  G.  W.  Barnes,  W.  Scott  Coy  and  John  R. 
Marshall. 

Not  many  noteworthy   improvements  were  made  in 
the  county  during  the  year.     A  broom  factory  was  estab- 


268  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

lished  at  Plattville,  at  the  church  end  of  the  town,  and 
was  the  third  house  there,  the  other  two  being  Dan. 
Krouse's  little  store  and  Mr.  Converse's.  The  Luthe- 
ran cemetery,  on  the  north  edge  of  Big  Grove  township, 
was  opened.  Wier  Sjierson,  or  Severson,  as  the  Amer- 
icans spell  it,  and  Wier  Matre,  gave  the  land. 

THE  OSWEGO  METHODIST  MEETING  HOUSE 

was  begun,  but  not  finished  for  several  years.  Follow- 
ing is  a  complete  list  of  the  preachers  from  the  forma- 
tion of  the  first  class  at  Daniel  Pearce's  house,  in  1835: 
William  Royal,  W.  Clark,  W.  Wilcox,  John  Sinclair, 
E.  Springer,  Rufus  Lumry,  H.  Hadley,  Wesley  Batch- 
elder,  R.  R.  Wood,  S.  F.  Denning,  S.  R.  Beggs,  J. 
Hunter,  Levi  Jenks,  J.  W.  Burton,  J.  Agard,  W.  B. 
Atkinson,  A.  Wooliscroft,  C.  Lazenby,  J.  C.  Stoughton, 
S.  Stover,  David  Cassidy,  Michael  Lewis,  J.  S.  David, 
W.  P.  Wright,  R.  K.  Bibbins,  C.  French,  R.  Wake, 
W.  H.  Haight,  C.  Foster,  Mr.  Hibbard,  Joseph  Cross, 
J.  Davidson,  E.  D.  Gould,  Henry  Minard,  A.  D.  Mc- 
Gregor, J.  J.  Tobias  and  W.  K.  Beans. 

The  Plattville  school  was  built  in  1849.  The  early 
teachers  were :  Sarah  Krouse,  Thomas  Cody,  Roland 
Macomber,  Miss  Gould,  Rogers  and  Clark  Alford.  The 
present  building  was  erected  in  1875.  Kate  Cliggett 
was  the  first  teacher. 

Mr.  Stephenson  was  the  first  teacher  of  the  Chapman 
school,  Seward.  Then  Mr.  Lott,  W.  A.  Jordan,  W.  W. 
Roberts,  and  William,  Lyman  and  Josephus  Gaskill. 
The  present  building  was  erected  in  1866,  at  a  cost  of 
$2,500.  The  first  teachers  were :  F.  G.  Gaskill,  Miss 
Turner  and   Miss  Whittlesey.       The    Sunday    School 


FIRST    BOARD    OF   SUPERVISORS.  269 

there  was  commenced  during  the  war.      W.  W.  Roberts 
was  the  first  superintendent. 

The  Bronk  cemetery,  Na-au-say,  was  bought  of  James 
Bird  by  Christopher  Stryker  and  Peter  YanDyke,  and 
deeded  to  the  school  trustees.  Many  were  buried  there, 
but  it  is  now  abandoned  as  a  public  burying  ground. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

TOWNSHIPS    AND    RAILROADS. 

N  1850  the  old  county  government  by 
Boards  of  County  Commissioners  gave  way 
to  new  Boards  of  Supervisors,  by  which  at 
present  seventy-four  of  the  one  hundred 
and  two  counties  in  the  State  are  governed. 
The  first  Board  in  Kendall  county  were  : 
Ebenezer  Morgan,  James  McClellan,  A. 
Sears,  Thomas  Finnic,  J.  K.  LeBaron, 
William  D.  Townsend,  A.  Jordan,  Horace  Moore  and 
H.  G.  Wilcox. 

In  Lisbon,  George  F.  Norton  was  elected  town  clerk, 
and  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  years  has  held 
the  office  ever  since.  All  the  Township  Record  Books 
begin  at  this  date,  though  nothing  of  importance  tran- 
spires in  them  for  several  years. 


270  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

It  was  the  great  year  for  township  naming,  under  the 
law.  Some  of  the  townships,  as  Big  Grove  and  Little 
Rock,  were  named  after  the  grove  or  the  creek  within 
their  boundaries.  Others,  as  Oswego  and  Bristol,  were 
named  after  their  principal  villages,  and  still  others  owe 
their  titles  to  the  happy  suggestion  of  some  leading  spirit 
at  the  town  meetings.  John  Moore  has  the  credit  of 
having  named  the  town  of  Lisbon,  while  D.  J.  Town- 
send  and  A.  K.  Wheeler  receive  the  same  credit  for  the 
town  of  Na-au-say.  The  latter  was  the  name  of  an  old 
Indian  town  on  Aux  Sable  creek,  and  means  "  Head 
waters  of  the  Aux  Sable."  In  many  cases  several 
names  were  proposed  and  vigorously  supported  by  their 
authors,  and  only  after  much  discussion  was  a  majority 
vote  obtained  for  any  one. 

In  Na-au-say,  Charles  F.  Richardson  gave  the  ground 
for  the  Union  Cemetery  to  the  town.  Mrs.  Nancy  E. 
Johnson  was  first  buried  there.  There  was  a  growing 
need  of  more  convenient  places  of  interment,  as  well 
as  places  of  education,  as  the  population  increased. 
By  the  census  that  year  there  were  seven  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  thirty  souls  in  the  county.  It 
was  the  first  general  census  since  the  organization. 
And  yet  our  broad  acres  were  not  only  not  all  occupied, 
but  not  all  entered  from  government,  for  John  Litsey,  of 
Lisbon,  that  year  entered  at  the  Land  Ofiice  the  eighty 
he  still  owns,  opposite  his  present  residence.  The  prob- 
able reason  of  so  long  neglect  is  that  it  was  far  from 
timber. 

The  Preston  school  house,  town  of  Fox,  was  built  a 
mile  east  of  its   present  site,   and   afterward   removed 


UNION  STORES  FAVORED.  271 

nearer  the  center  of  the  district.  Amono-  the  teachers 
have  been  Mrs.  Storey,  Hannah  Badgley,  Mr.  Bosworth, 
Mina  Crum,  Charlotte  Seymour  and  Elizabeth  Petty. 

IN  1851 

there  was  a  movement  in  favor  of  union  stores.  The 
people  of  a  community  would  club  together,  hire  a  build- 
ing, put  in  a  stock  of  goods,  and  hire  a  clerk  to  do  the 
selling.  By  these  means  the  consumers  were  to  have  the 
benefit  of  the  profits.  One  was  started  at  Pavilion,  on 
a  basis  of  fifty-three  names,  at  five  dollars  each.  Moul- 
ton  and  Ives  were  the  clerks.  Another  store  was  opened 
at  Plattville.  But  the  plan  did  not  work  as  well  in  prac- 
tice as  it  was  expected  to,  and  after  a  few  years  was 
abandoned.  Competition  is,  after  all,  the  best  guaran- 
tee for  fair  profits  in  any  business.     That  year  the 

S.  W.  BROWN  SCHOOL 

entered  the  present  building.  There  had  been  a  school 
for  four  years  previous  in  Mr.  Brown's  house,  taught  by 
Richard  Pope,  Sarah  Harkness  and  Miss  Campbell.  The 
following  are  the  early  teachers,  names  :  Livonia  Martin, 
H.  Merrill,  Prudence  Johnson,  Libbie  Avery,  Mary 
Hare,  E.  H.  Pletcher  and  Helen  Manchester. 

This  school  has  graduated,  since  its  commencement, 
nearly  thirty  teachers  from  among  its  scholars,  and  has 
in  this  respect  a  record  to  be  proud  of. 

THE  NA-AU-SAY  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

was  founded  as  a  Congregational  church,  and  Rev.  Mr. 
Chapman,  of  Plainfield,  became  the  first  pastor.  He  was 
followed  by  Mr.  Reed,  Mr.  Walker,  Mr.  Loss,  and  Mr. 
Wood.     During  the  latter's  pastorate,  the  meeting  house 


272  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

was  built — as  fine  a  church  building  as  we  have  in  the 
county.  Then  came  L.  J.  Stewart,  and  T.  L.  Jessup, 
the  present  pastor. 

In  Newark,  at  the  old  Messenger  shop,  Lot  Preshur 
was  making  a  few  reapers  that  found  a  ready  sale.  Their 
chief  peculiarity  was  that  they  cut  a  very  wide  swath, 
and  were  slow  geared,  having  only  a  driving  wheel  and 
one  pinion.  They  could,  therefore,  cut  nothing  but 
grain.  The  castings  and  sickles  were  made  in  Ottawa. 
After  a  little  time,  Mr.  Preshur  removed  to  Mendota, 
added  a  spur  wheel  to  his  machine,  and  came  out  with  a 
new  mower,  cutting  six  and  one  half  feet  at  a  swath. 
Asa  Manchester  still  owns  one,  and  it  will  do  fine  work 
yet,  though  more  than  quarter  of  a  century  old. 

IN  1852 
was  another  Presidential  election.  Franklin  Pierce  car- 
ried Kendall  county,  though  John  P.  Hale,  the  free  soil 
candidate,  received  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  votes  out 
of  the  thirteen  hundred  that  were  cast.  During  the 
year,  Henry  Clay  and  Daniel  Webster  died.  The  win- 
ter was  unusually  cold.  January  19th  was  the  coldest 
day  that  had  been  known  since  the  winter  before  the 
Indian  war.  On  March  13th  was  a  great  change  in  the 
weather ;  the  thermometer  fell  during  the  night  fifty-one 
degrees. 

An  unusual  degree  of  prosperity  marked  the  year, — 
owing  partly  to  good  crops,  but  mostly  to  the  general 
incoming  of 

RAILROADS, 

by  wliicli,  prices  of  both  produce  and  real  estate  were 
quickened.       TJie  spirit  of  wild  speculation,  too,  which 


RAILROAD   ENTERPRISES.  273 

was  born  in  1835  and  died  in  1837, was  aroused  again,  and 
led  to  the  further  crash  of  1857.  The  following  extracts 
are  from  Gov.  Matteson's  message:  "The  Chicago  and 
Galena  Union  Railroad  has  been  pushed  forward  with 
success,  which  gave  a  strong  impetus  to  the  desire  for 
railroad  improvements.  The  'St.  Charles  Branch,' 
though  but  short,  has  given  great  business  facilities  to 
the  town  and  country,  and  will  no  doubt  soon  be  extended 
to  the  Mississippi.  A  little  further  south  the  '  Aurora 
Branch  '  has  given  life  and  activity  to  one  of  the  most 
fertile  portions  of  Illinois.  The  Chicago  &  Rock  Island 
Rail  Road,  commenced  at  a  later  date,  proposes  to  fur- 
nish facilities  to  another  inland  section.  This  road  is  in 
rapid  process  of  construction.  Cars  are  already  run- 
ning from  Chicago  to  Morris,  sixty-five  miles,  and  before 
two  years  expire  from  the  time  the  charter  was  granted, 
one  hundred  miles  will  be  finished,  to  the  city  of  Peru.. 
The  balance  of  the  distance  to  Rock  Island  is  in  a  state 
of  great  forwardness,  and  will  be  completed  within  a 
year.  *  ={=  *  The  manner  in  which  these  changes 
will  afi'ect  the  prosperity  of  the  State  is  too  palpable  to 
need  comment. 

"  Twenty  years  ago  if  those  works  had  received  a  pass- 
ing thought  they  were  regarded  as  dreams  of  imagina- 
tion. Then  the  commerce  of  Chicago  was  but  a  few 
thousand  dollars  and  her  population  but  a  few  hundred 
souls.  Her  commerce  now  is  over  $200,000,000,  and  her 
population  fifty  thousand.  Then  Waukegan,  Elgin, 
Belvidere,  Rockford,  Freeport  and  Galena  were  almost  un- 
known. Now  thev  have  become  large  and  flourishing 
cities,  growing  with   a  rapidity  most  incredible.       The 


274  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

canal  going  into  operation  has  made  lively  and  flourish- 
ing towns  of  Lockport,  Joliet,  Morris,  Ottawa,  LaSalle 
and  Peru,  and  added  to  the  growth  of  all  the  towns  along 
the  Illinois  river.  These  again  have  thrown  back  their 
wealth  and  forced  Chicago  into  a  growth  which  chal- 
lenges a  parallel  in  any  city,  unless  those  in  California." 
Another  road  not  mentioned  by  the  Governor,  and 
which  more  immediately  concerns  us,  was  the  "  Ottawa, 
Oswego  &  Fox  River  Rail  Road."  The  company  was 
incorporated  August  22d,  1852.  The  road  was  to  run 
from  Ottawa  to  Elgin,  via  Oswego,  and  directors  were 
chosen  from  each  of  the  counties  through  which  it  was 
to  pass.  The  Kendall  county  directors  were  Lewis  B. 
Judson,  Nathaniel  Rising,  William  Noble  Davis,  Samuel 
Jackson,  Samuel  Roberts,  John  L.  Clark  and  Johnson 
Misner.  Among  the  LaSalle  county  directors  were 
Robert  Rowe  and  William  L.  F.  Jones.  But  little  pro- 
gress, however,  was  made,  and  two  years  afterwards, 
February  28th,  1854,  the  charter  was  amended  so  as  to 
make  the  road  run  by  Naperville  to  Chicago.  But  the 
C,  B.  &  Q.  Road  succeeded  in  getting  in  first  on  that 
line. 

The  Johnson  school  house,  town  of  Fox,  was  built  in 
1852,  by  subscription,  for  the  use  of  the  Lutheran  society, 
but  after  six  years  it  was  turned  over  to  the  district.  A 
Lutheran  parochial  school  is  kept  in  it  four  months  of 
the  year,  but  is  entirely  separate  from  the  common  school. 
A  Norwegian  teacher  is  employed,  and  the  woodshed 
even  is  divided,  one  side  being  known  as  "district  coal," 
and  the  other  "church  coal."  Some  of  the  teachers 
have  been  :  Mr.   Foltz,  Oley  M.  Johnson,  Oliver  Hill, 


BRISTOL   STATION    FOUNDED. 


275 


Anna  Brown,  Marthan  Oleson,  Miss  Cassem,  Caroline 
Dayton  and  Andrew  Brown.  The  Lutherans  have  two 
other  parochial  schools  in  the  vicinity ;  one  by  the  North 
church  and  the  other  in  the  east  edge  of  Big  Grove. 


CHAPTER  XL. 


NEW  TOWNS. 


V  HE  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy 
'  I  Railroad  passed  through  this  county 
in  1853.  The  Oswego  depot  was 
built  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  vil- 
lage. It  has  been  practically  aban- 
doned since  the  Fox  River  Road  came 
through,  and  no  trains  stop  except  they  are  flagged. 
Once  in  a  while  a  strange  passenger  comes  along,  and 
the  young  Irishman  in  charge  gets  out  his  red  flag,  but 
most  of  the  time  he  can  watch  his  cow  eating  railroad 
grass,  or  feed  his  chickens  on  the  steps  of  the  deserted 
waiting  room,  with  none  to  molest  or  make  afraid. 
Bristol  was  left  still  further  in  the  rear,  and 

BRISTOL   STATION 

was  founded  two  miles  and  a  half  from  the  old  village. 
It  was  laid  out  on  the  farm  of  T.  S.  Hunt.  The  first 
lot  was  sold  to  William  Kern,  the  second  to  Messrs. 
Merrit  for  a  store. 


276  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL  COUNTY. 

Reuben  Hunt  was  the  first  postmaster,  and  Alexander 
McLeay  built  the  hotel.  The  village  site  was  on  a 
tongue  of  prairie  between  two  groves,  with  Blackberry 
creek  on  one  side  and  Rob  Roy  creek  on  the  other.  It 
was  yet  eleven  miles  to  Sandwich,  and  plenty  of 
room  for  another  station  ;  so  another  was  founded  on 
the  tongue  of  prairie  between  Big  Rock  and  Little 
Rock  timber.  It  was  laid  out  Feb.  28th,  1853,  and  named 

PLANO, 

(Spanish  for  plain),  at  the  suggestion  of  John  HoUister. 
William  Ervin  put  up  the  first  house  and  opened  a  store 
in  it  June  7th.  Calvin  Barber  built  the  second.  Then 
Hugh  Henning  started  business.  J.  C.  Barber  built 
the  first  hotel.  All  this  before  the  first  train  of  cars 
arrived,  August  23d.  The  first  post-office  in  that  region 
was  at  Little  Rock.  Then  at  Post's,  on  the  river,  and 
at  Penfield's,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rob  Roy,  before  it 
was  removed  to  Piano. 

During  the  summer,  cholera  broke  out  among  the 
railroad  hands.  It  was  believed  to  have  been  brought 
by  them  from  Ottawa.  Seven  men  died  on  the  track, 
and  also  Mrs.  Napoleon  Youngs,  who  was  boarding  the 
hands.  Her  little  child  soon  followed.  Also,  Mr.  Fish- 
ell,  Mr.  Borton,  and  other  settlers..  Four  years  pre- 
viously, in  1849,  the  ravages  of  the  cholera  were  so 
great,  especially  at  Chicago,  that  a  hospital  and  orphan 
asylum  became  necessary.  But  notwithstanding  the 
increase  of  railroads,  other  roads  were  still  needed,  and 
the  "  Grundy  and  Kendall  Plank  Road  Company"  was 
incorporated,  to  build  a  plank  road  and  establish  toll- 
gates  between  Morris  and  Lisbon.   The  stock  was  divided 


CHURCHES    AND    SCHOOLS.  277 

into  eight  hundred  shares  of  fifty  dollars  each,  but  they 
were  not  all  taken,  and  the  plan  fell  through  ;  which 
latter  fact  every  traveler  well  knows  who  has  tried  to 
engineer  his  struggling  vehicle  over  the  famous  "  Morris 
flats"  in  the  soft  and  mellow  spring  time.  A  more  con- 
tinuously exasperating  road  probably  never  was  discov- 
ered, though  it  has  improved  in  modern  days.    The 

OSWEGO  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

was  organized  in  1853,  and  first  worshipped  in  an  old 
building  now  occupied  by  a  German  society.  The  pres- 
ent meeting  house  was  built  in  1857.  The  pastors  have 
been :  John  McKinney,  A.  E.  Thompson,  J.  H.  Nesbit, 
H.  A.  Thayer,  H.  A.  Barclay,  W.  K.  Boyd,  J.  B. 
Andrews  and  Thomas  Gait.     The 

OSWEGO  LUTHERAN  SOCIETY 

was  organized  in  1853,  and  built  their  meeting  house  in 
1858.  E.  H.  Buhre,  Mr.  Zucker,  William  Binner  and 
Mr.  Koch  being  the  pastors.  The  first  church  building 
of  the  Lutheran  Society,  at  Lisbon,  was  also  built  in 
1853,  and  the  present  one  in  1872.  Rev.  P.  A.  Ras- 
mussen  has  been  pastor  most  of  the  time.     The 

WHITLOCK  SCHOOL, 

Na-au-say,  was  opened  in  1853.  The  following  is  a  par- 
tial list  of  teachers'  names  :  Maria  and  Sarah  Wedge, 
Mary  Terry,  Cornelia  Avery,  Corvosso  Reeder,  Graham 
Duncan,  Cornelia  Carroll  and  Mr.  Reese.  One  season 
previous  to  the  building  of  the  school  house,  Ellen  Davis 
taught  one  term  in  a  part  of  Parshall  Reeve's  house. 
The  history  of  the 

NEWARK  SCHOOL 

properly  begins  with  Mrs.   Sloan's  school,  in  Gridley's 


278  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

grove,  and  Mr.  Neese's  school  over  Hollenback's  store, 
about  1837.  When  the  precinct  house  was  built  for  a 
voting  place,  in  1838,  it  became  the  school  headquarters 
also.  Diantha  Gleason  was  the  first  teacher. 
Among  others  were :  J.  J.  Wilson,  George  Bristol.  George 
B.  Ames,  Miss  Ora  Barn,  Horace  Day,  Albert  Learned, 
(who  was  killed  while  digging  a  well  at  S.  Bingham's,  in 
1846),  William  Cody  and  James  Harvey.  The  latter 
repaired  the  building  after  being  damaged  by  fire,  about 
1849,  and  taught  a  select  school  for  several  years,  while 
the  public  school  was  removed  to  the  building  now  J.  D. 
Erwin's  residence. 

In  1853  a  school  house  was  built,  which  in  1868  was 
replaced  by  the  present  one,  and  is  now  used  as  Fritt's 
furniture  store. 

Early  teachers'  names  were  :  Wellington  Mason,  Wil- 
liam Nixon,  Jennie  Fowler,  C.  Willing,  C.  Winne,  W. 
L.  Wilbur,  Fred.  Freeman,  Porter  C.  Olson,  Harriet  L. 
Porter,  W.  Scott  Coy,  Sarah  E.  Ament,  Margaret  Nel- 
son, Helen  Lewis  and  John  D.  Waite. 

A  homicide  occurred  in  the  town  of  Lisbon,  Mr. 
Foreman  being  killed  by  Andrew  Wilson.  Some  foolish 
words  had  passed  between  them,  when  Foreman  struck 
the  other,  and  he  in  retaliation  struck  Foreman  over  the 
head  with  a  rake,  and  a  tooth  penetrating  the  skull 
killed  him  instantly.  It  was  a  very  sad  aifair,  and  the 
more  so  as  Wilson  was  but  a  youth.  He  was  tried  and 
acquitted,  but  during  the  war  he  enlisted  in  the  army 
and  fell  at  Fort  Donelson. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    CHURCHES.  279 

Eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-four  was  the  birth  year  of 
two  of  our  church  buildings.     The 

NEWARK    M.    E.    CHURCH 

was  dedicated  January  25th,  1855.  The  list  of  pastors 
from  the  first  commencement  of  preaching  in  1847  is  as 
follows  :  Levi  Jenks,  Mr.  Wolliscraft,  David  Cassidy, 
Michael  Lewis,  Wesley  Batcheldor,  Robert  K.  Bibbins, 
H.  Haggerty,  W.  P.  Wright,  Isaac  Linebarger,  J.  N. 
Martin,  John  Frost,  John  Cummins,  W.  H.  Smith,  J. 
H.  Ailing,  F.  H.  Brown,  Philo  Gordon,  George  Love- 
see,  J.  R.  Allen  and  W.  H.  Fisher. 

The  first  class  was  formed  in  1850,  and  Elisha  Bib- 
bins  and  G.  D.  Edgerton  are  the  only  remaining  con- 
stituent members. 

THE    BRISTOL    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 

The  Society  was  organized  in  1836  by  Rev.  Mr.  Parry, 
at  the  house  of  Deacon  Elisha  Johnson,  who,  with  his 
wife  and  daughter,  Justus  Bristol,  wife  and  daughter, 
James  Gilliam  and  wife,  and  Lyman  Bristol  completed 
the  number  of  the  first  members.  Rev.  H.  S.  Colton 
was  the  first  pastor.  After  him,  L.  C.  Gilbert,  Henry 
Bergen,  James  Hallock,  Chauncey  Cook,  Beardsley 
Trail,  W.  Gay,  Joel  Grant,  D.  Webb,  Mr.  Granger,  Mr. 
Hibbard,  A.  Doremus  and  Ward  Batchelor. 

The  Kendall  County  Agricultural  Society,  still  hold- 
incr  annual  fairs  on  its  grounds  in  Bristol :  and  the  Ken- 
dall  County  Protective  Association,  for  the  apprehen- 
sion of  stolen  horses  and  detection  of  thieves,  were 
organized  in  1854. 

THE  "little  ROCK  PRESS," 

a  nine  by  ten  inch  sheet,  was  started  in  February,  by 


280  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

Chas.  S.  Fisk,  the  village  preacher,  at  twenty-five  cents 
a  year.  The  Chicago,  Sterling  &  Mississippi  Railroad, 
re-chartered  as  the  Joliet  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad,  was  ex- 
pected through,  and  the  paper  says,  "It  must  be  the  route 
to  Chicago.  This  village  has  now  two  hotels  and  three 
stores,  and  will  probably  put  up  two  or  three  church 
edifices  shortly."  But  the  railroad  is  expected  yet,  and 
twenty-two  years  passed  before  the  first  church  edifice 
went  up ;  which  illustrates  the  diflficulty  of  deciding  in 
a  new  country  where  the  channel  of  business  will  run. 
It  is  generally  not  local  advantages,  but  position  between 
distant  business  centers,  that  decides  the  prosperity  of  a 
village.  But,  fortunately,  happiness  does  not  always 
travel  on  the  lines  of  business.  The  paper  ran  but  three 
months,  and  was  removed  to  Mendota. 

At  Oswego,  Adam  Armstrong  started  his  broom  fac- 
tory, and  for  several  years  did  considerable  business. 
With  the  passing  away  of  the  summer,  that  dread  epi- 
demic, the  cholera,  again  entered.  It  was  not  severe  in 
the  country,  but  in  Chicago  nearly  one  thousand  fell 
victims  to  it. 

The  Little  Rock  cemetery,  situated  west  of  the  village, 
dates  from  1854.  It  was  secured  by  a  donation  of  two 
acres  of  land  from  Gilbert  Fowler,  to  J.  T.  H.  Brady, 
Henry  Abbey  and  Alfred  Houghtaylen,  and  their  suc- 
cessors in  office. 

The  first  burials  were  Lydia  Brady  and  Amasa  Bush- 
nell,  in  1855.  Mrs.  Hinder  and  David  Hodgman  were 
next. 

The  Yorkville  school  house  was  built  about  1854,  but 
the  history  of  the  school  dates  back  to  1839,  when  school 


PRO- SLAVERY    EXCITEMENT.  281 

was  kept  in  a  little  building  occupied  by  Norman  Dodge 
as  a  probate  office.  The  brick  school  house  was  built  in 
1842.  Arabella  Barstow,  D.  G.  Johnson  and  B.  Gif- 
ford  were  among  the  teachers.  And  in  the  present  build- 
ing, Abbie  S.  Dyer,  J.  W.  Fridenberg,  Addie  Clark, 
Lois  Marston,  Lizzie  Smith  and  Hattie  Morley. 

THE  YEAR  1855 

witnessed  the  culmination  of  the  pro-slavery  spirit  of 
our  country,  in  the  mob  elections  and  territorial  enact- 
ments of  "bleeding  Kansas."  Among  the  laws  made 
by  that  first  Legislature  was  one  making  legal  voters  of 
all  who  paid  one  dollar  poll  tax,  and  another  visiting  the 
death  penalty  on  any  one  helping  a  slave  to  his  freedom. 
No  more  exciting  times,  except  years  of  actual  war,  have 
ever  been  known  in  our  land.  Looking  back  upon  it 
now,  we  can  see  how  our  civil  war  was  as  inevitable  as  if 
decreed  by  statute. 

Coming  down  to  our  own  county  and  to  smaller  mat- 
ters, we  may  chronicle  that  during  the  summer 

THE  STATE  ROAD  TO  OTTAWA 

was  re-located  by  act  of  Legislature.  It  was  first  laid  in 
1838,  by  B.  F.  Fridley,  I.  P.  Hallock,  Almon  Ives  and 
Archibald  Sears.  Thomas  Finnic  and  J.  J.  Cole  were 
appointed  to  re-locate  it,  after  its  wear  of  eighteen  years. 
The  new  road  was  to  pass  through  "  Badgley's  lane, 
the  widow  Gridley's  lane,  John  Boyd's  lane,  the  lands 
of  James  Evans,  George  Hollenback's  lane,  over  the 
bridge  which  crosses  the  Ackley  creek,  or  river,  the  lane 
formed  by  lands  and  enclosures  of  John  A.  Cook  and 
Whitman  Stone,  and  by  the  southwest  end  of  Long  Grove 
to  Pavilion." 

19 


282  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Oswego  was  incorporated  with  the  following  board  of 

trustees :  J.  W.  Chapman,  L.  B.  Judson,  J.  M.  Croth- 

ers,  F.  Coffin  and  Walter  Loucks.     There  have  been  two 

years  in  the  history  of  the  town  when  they  have  had  no 

saloon  license. 

SCHOOLS. 

In  the  Fletcher  school,  town  of  Kendall,  the  early 
teachers  were:  James  Bishop,  Barbara  Fletcher,  A.  J. 
Smith,  Ellen  Leach,  Anna  Howell,  Lizzie  Beatty  and 
JennieSmith. 

The  Naden  school,  Big  Grove,  shows  the  following  early 
teachers :  Naney  Barnes,  Lucius  Whitney,  Sarah  J. 
Howes,  Milton  Wright,  Fred  Freeman,  Henrietta  Howes, 
James  Brown,  Phebe  Jilson.  Helen  Norton,  Mary  Hare 
and  Wright  Adams. 

The  Piano  school  is  the  largest  in  the  county.  There 
are  three  extra  buildings  besides  Academy  Hall,  and 
seven  teachers  are  employed.  The  principals  have  been 
as  follows:  J.  B.  Stinson,  Mr.  Huff,  Joel  Jenks,  Mr. 
Gridley,  Georgiana  Smith,  Mrs.  Sill,  Mr.  Needham, 
Mr.  Sly,  0.  W.  Van  Osdell,  J.  Evarts,  Sarah  L.  Stew- 
ard, George  Green  and  J.  H.  Rushton.  The  names  of 
all  the  teachers  would  make  a  long  list.  Laura  Ervin, 
Mary  Berry,  Jennie  Cox  and  Anna  Browij  have  taught 
several  terms  each. 

In  the  Seward  Center  school,  the  early  teachers  were : 
Lucy  Keene,  Miss  Tyner,  Mr.  Harvey,  Arthur  Raven 
and  Lyman  Gaskell. 

In  the  Grove  school,  Na-au-say,  the  early  teachers 
were :  J.  J.  Evarts,  Henry  Town,  James  xindrews,  Mr. 
Updike  and  Linda  Bennett. 


NUMBER    OF    SCHOOLS    IN    COUNTY.  283 

THE   FOWLER   INSTITUTE, 

Newark,  was  opened  in  the  fall,  with  Miss  Jemima  Wash- 
burn as  Principal,  associated  with  her  brother,  Rev. 
Sanford  Washburn.  They  had  for  two  years  been  teach- 
ing private  schools  in  the  village.  Dr.  H.  R.  Fowler 
erected  the  building,  and  February  10th,  1857,  the 
school  was  chartered  under  the  name  of  the  "Fowler 
Female  Institute,"  and  was  afterwards  changed  to 
"Fowler  Institute,"  in  1867.  The  first  trustees  were 
W.  C.  Willing,  Horatio  Fowler  and  G.  W.  Hartwell. 
Miss  Washburn  left  in  1859  to  be  first  Principal  in 
Clark  Seminary,  Aurora.  The  following  have  been 
Principals  since :  John  Higby,  John  Wilmarth,  A.  J. 
Anderson,  D.  J.  Poor,  J.  R.  Burns,  A.  J.  Sherwin  and 
J.  P.  Ellinwood.  Among  the  other  teachers  have  been : 
Ella  Lent,  Libbie  Sullivan,  Mr.  Simon,  Sarah  J.  Higby, 
Nettie  Havenhill  and  Miss  Shawber.  This  Institute  has 
had  at  times  one  hundred  and  fifty  scholars  in  attendance. 
It  has  connected  with  it  library,  cabinet,  philosophical 
apparatus,  etc.,  and  offers  in  some  respects  better  induce- 
ments to  the  student  than  any  other  school  in  the  county. 

There  were  altogether  one  hundred  and  twenty-four 
public  schools  in  the  county  in  1855,  making  it  the 
twelfth  county  in  the  State  in  regard  to  the  number  of 
its  schools,  while  it  was  only  fortieth  in  respect  to  its  tax- 
able property.  The  average  wages  paid  to  male  teachers, 
$29.00  per  month;  to  female  teachers,  516.00.  The 
number  of  schools  at  present  does  not  reach  one  hundred. 

The  Yorkville  paper  mills  were  built  by  J.  P.  Black, 
and  ran  for  several  years,  making  a  first-class  quality  of 
white  print  paper. 


CHAPTER  XLl. 


THE  FLOOD  AND  THE  PANIC. 


IGHTEEN  hundred  and  fifty-six  opened 
with  a  very  cold  winter — one  of  the  cold- 
est, indeed,  that  has  ever  been  known. 
During  the  first  two  weeks  in  January, 
the  thermometer  several  times  indicated 
thirty  decrees  below  zero,  and  for  two 
months  there  was  continuous  cold  weather 
and  good  sleighing.  Ice  was  formed  as  far  south  as  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  In  the  spring,  great  floods  followed, 
and  the  Oswego  bridge  over  Fox  river  was  carried  away. 
In  the  Presidential  election,  one  thousand,  nine  hund- 
red and  seventy  votes  were  cast  in  Kendall  county,  and 
John  C.  Fremont  ran  ahead  of  both  Fillmore  and 
Buchanan  five  to  one. 

The  "Kendall  County  Courier,"  our  first  proper 
county  paper,  was  started  in  Oswego  by  H.  S.  Hum- 
phrey. In  Newark,  a  barrel  factory  was  opened  by  Mr. 
Moore,  where  Hull's  stone  shop  now  stands.  In  Big 
Grove,  a  steam  saw  mill  was  erected  by  Lewis  Robinson. 
It  was  first  started  as  a  horse  mill  in  1852.  In  1859  it 
was  moved  to  Newark,  and  afterwards  the  machinery 
was  taken  to  Tennessee. 


SCHOOLS  AND  TEACHERS.  285 

SCHOOLS. 

The  Lisbon  Center  school  was  opened  in  the  present 
house  in  1856.  Before  that  three  terms  were  kept  in 
John  Litsey's  house,  and  several  terms  in  a  little  house 
half  a  mile  east  of  the  present  one.  The  following 
names  of  teachers  date  from  1848  :  Sarah  Niblo,  Mary 
Brickley,  Zuba  Tuttle,  Mary  Williams,  Mary  Knox, 
Melissa  Havenhill,  0.  L.  Toft,  C.  B.  Alford,  R.  C.  Ma- 
comber,  T.  Maoomber,  Effie  Andrews,  Mary  Brown, 
Huldah  Bedell,  Hannah  Fosgate  and  Josephine  Henry. 

These  lists  of  names  are  of  course  most  interesting  to 
those  who  knew  the  persons,  and  to  such  each  name  is 
a  fountain  of  old  memories  which  can  never  perish,  and 
which  will  yet  be  more  precious  as  they  are  recalled  in 
the  twilight  of  life,  in  the  years  to  come. 

The  Sleezer  school.  Big  Grove,  was  opened  on  Haven- 
hill's  corner,  in  an  old  dwelling  fitted  up.  After  stand- 
ing there  ten  years,  it  was  moved  one  mile  east,  and 
after  ten  years  more  was  rebuilt  and  moved  to  its  pres- 
ent site,  half  way  back  to  the  old  corner.  The  teachers 
have  been  :  Lottie  Seymour,  Diantha  Adams,  Mr.  Erick- 
son,  Helen  Lewis,  Lewis  Bishop,  Miss  Wells,  Wright 
Adams,  Juliet  Seymour  and  S.  Ament. 

The  Lewis  school,  town  of  Kendall,  has  had  the  fol- 
lowing teachers  :  E.  J.  Lewis,  Etta  Martindale,  J.  J. 
Foltz,  Mary  Meeker,  Lida  Hallock,  Augustus  Collman, 
Lida  Knowlton,  Eugene  Morgan,  E.  Moulton  and  Frank 
Lord. 

The  Shepard  school,  in  Kendall,  has  been  taught  by 
the  following  teachers  :  Lucy  Brown,  Mary  Ann  Haigh, 
George  Bishop,  Hattie  Wood,  James  Bishop,  Ed.  Kern, 


286  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Margaret  Leach  and  John  Kerwin.  The  year  before 
the  school  house  was  built,  school  was  kept  in  an  old  log 
dwelling  by  Miss  Parkhurst. 

The  Henderson  school,  Seward,  has  had  the  following 
teachers  :  William  Jennie,  William  Green,  Libbie  Angel, 
Lavonia  Ketchum  and  Miss  Carroll.  Twelve  years 
before  a  school  was  kept  in  one  of  Frink  and  Walker's 
houses,  near  the  Patrick  tavern,  but  it  was  not  per- 
manent. 

The  Agricultural  Fair  that  had  for  two  years  previous 
been  held  at  Oswego,  was  held  in  1856  at  Piano.  At 
the  State  Fair,  0.  B.  Gulusha,  of  Lisbon,  took  the  first 
premium  for  the  best  half  acre  of  potatoes — yield,  one 
hundred  forty-one  and  a-half  bushels.  Financially  the 
county  was  flourishing  ;  "  hard  times  "  had  taken  their 
flight.  Money  was  plenty,  and  people  used  it  freely. 
Prices  were  good.     The  following  are  Aurora  quotations : 

Corn,  35c;  wheat,  J1.25;  rye,  85c;  oats,  24c;  bar- 
ley, $1.00;  potatoes,  37c;  pork,  |5.00 ;  butter,  20c; 
cheese,  10c ;  eggs,  22c.  But  extravagance  must  be  fol- 
lowed by  its  penalty,  and  the  penalty  came  in  the  sad 
revulsion  of  1857. 

THE    SPRING   OF    1857 

opened  with  the  most  destructive  freshet  ever  known  on 
Fox  river,  caused  by  a  heavy  rain  on  February  6th,  which 
melted  the  snow  and  broke  up  the  ice  and  set  the  entire 
winter's  crop  free.  All  the  bridges  from  Batavia 
to  Ottawa  were  swept  away,  and  the  river  was  covered 
with  boards,  boxes,  furniture,  chickens,  and  debris  of  all 
kinds.  At  Oswego,  Parker's  saw  mill  was  taken  at 
a  loss  of  three  thousand  dollars,  and  Rowley  &  English's 


A   TERRIBLE   FLOOD.  287 

lumber  yard  suffered  a  loss  of  one  thousand  dollars.  At 
Millington  half  the  village  was  flooded  ;  water  was  waist 
deep  on  Vine  street,  in  front  of  Watters'  store,  two 
blocks  from  the  river.  The  freshet  extended  throughout 
the  country,  and  in  other  places  many  lives  were 
lost.  Houses  were  undermined  and  carried  away  while 
the  inmates  were  still  asleep,  and  they  knew  nothing  of 
their  danger  until  the  hungry  waters  swallowed  them  up. 
Such  another  freshet  has  not  been  known  in  this  coun- 
try ;  yet  each  winter  the  materials  for  such  another  accu- 
mulates, and  it  is  a  striking  exemplification  of  the  good- 
ness of  the  providence  of  God  that  these  materials  are 
dispersed  gradually,  and  rarely  allowed  to  go  out  with 
the  terrible  and  fatal  rush  of  1857. 

But  another  trouble,  felt  in  highland  and  river  bottom 
alike,  came  in  with  the  year.     It  is  known  as  the 

PANIC  OF  1857, 
the  exhaustion  following  the  excitement  created  by  the 
incoming  of  railroads,    in  1852,    and   fostered  by    the 
Russian  war  in  1854. 

People  lived  too  fast,  and  being  too  far  removed  from 
their  base  of  supplies  had  to  wait  in  the  cold  and  hunger 
of  bankruptcy  until  the  supplies  came  up.  It  was  not, 
therefore,  a  panic,  viz :  a  mysterious  fright,  but  sprang 
from  a  real  and  intelligible  cause,  and  the  effect  lasted 
up  to  the  beginning  of  the  civil  war.  These  lessons 
have  been  so  often  repeated  that  surely  they  should  be 
well  learned,  and  all  who  heed  them  when  the  next  wave 
of  prosperity  comes  will  have  an  opportunity  of  learning 
the  cash  value  of  wisdom.  The  year,  however,  was 
marked  in  this  county  by  several 


288  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

NEW  ENTERPRISES, 

some  of  which  were  short  lived  and  others  became  perma- 
nent improvements.  Among  the  former  were  the  "  Ken- 
dall County  Journal,"  started  in  Piano  by  A.  Sellers. 
It  ran  but  a  few  months.  Also  the  "  Kendall  County 
Clarion,"  published  in  Bristol  by  W.  H.  Clark.  An  act 
was  passed  February  16th,  authorizing  Jeremiah  J.  Cole 
and  Levi  C.  Gorton  to  build  the  "  Oswego  Branch  Rail- 
road "  from  Oswego  village  to  the  Station  ;  but  the  close 
times  that  came  on  immediately  defeated  the  project. 

Two  grist  mills  were  erected;  one  at  Bristol,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Blackberry  creek,  by  Lane  &  Arnold,  and 
the  other  five  miles  further  down  the  river,  at  the  mouth 
of  Rock  creek,  by 

FREDERICK  POST. 

Mr.  Post  was  a  Prussian,  having  come  to  this  country 
in  1850,  and  was  a  man  of  energy  and  means.  He  threw 
a  dam  across  Little  Rock  creek  for  his  grist  mill,  and 
another  across  Big  Rock  for  his  saw  mill ;  opened  up  the 
roads  that  at  present  pass  through  that  romantic,  but 
forsaken  looking  region,  added  a  lime  kiln  of  eight  hun- 
dred bushels  capacity  to  the  smaller  kiln  already  there, 
and  drew  so  much  patronage  to  the  place  that  it  bid  fair 
to  be  as  important  a  point  for  the  whites  as  of  old  it  had 
been  for  the  Indians.  For  tradition  makes  the  lonely 
ravines  to  have  been  a  favorite  Pottawatomie  camping 
and  council  ground.  But  the  tide  of  circumstances  that 
for  awhile  flowed  to,  eventually  flowed  away  from  the 
spot.  The  saw  mill  dam  was  washed  out  in  1869.  Dur- 
ing the  year  the 

PLATTVILLE  CHURCH 

was  built,  and  in  1867  the  Lisbon  Center  church,  on  the 


CHURCHES   AND    PREACHERS.  289 

same  circuit.  The  pastors  were :  W.  Royal,  J.  S.  Da- 
uid,  Mr.  Morse,  D.  L.  Winslow,  Mr.  Batchelder,  Mr. 
Wright,  S.  F.  Denning,  F.  H.  Brown,  W.  H.  Smith, 
H.  Reed,  Mr.  Hibbard,  Sanford  Washburn,  George  S. 
Young,  Benjamin  Close,  Robert  Bibbins  and  G.  Lib- 
by.  Mr.  Springer  was  in  charge  when  the  Plattville 
house  was  built.  In  former  years  Revs.  Lumry,  Phelps 
and  Flowers  used  to  preach  in  the  school  house  and  in 
private  houses.  Also  the  Piano  Methodist  church.  The 
district  was  formerly  embraced  in  the  Indian  creek  cir- 
cuit, and  Rufus  Lumry,  Wesley  Batchelder  and  Obadiah 
W.  Munger  were  successive  preachers  in  charge.  In 
1845,  the  name  was  changed  to  Little  Rock  circuit,  and 
the  following  were  the  preachers :  Wm.  Royal,  Seymour 
Stover,  Amos  Wiley,  Charles  Batchelder,  Stephen  R. 
Beggs  and  Elijah  Ransom.  In  1857  the  house  was  built 
at  Piano,  and  the  subsequent  preachers  have  been  Henry 
Minard,  I.  H.  Grant,  T.  B.  Rockwell,  W.  H.  Fisher, 
W.  H.  Strout,  J,  T.  Hanna,  Sanford  Washburn,  Fred. 
Curtis  and  J.  B.  McGuffin. 

The  Millbrook  church  was  built  in  the  same  year. 
The  pastors  were  the  same  as  given  for  the  Millington 
church. 

Of  the  schools  which  date  from  that  year,  the  follow- 
ing may  be  grouped  here  :  The  Pearce  school,  Oswego, 
which  has  had  the  following  teachers :  A.  Snook,  Mr. 
Baker,  Mr.  Martin,  Mr.  Day,  Jennie  Hoyt  and  Delia 
Miner. 

The  Walker  school,  Oswego,  which  has  had  the  follow- 
ing   teachers  :    George    W.   Moore,    Amanda     Hezlep, 


290  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

Charles  Doaper,  Miss  Hopkins,  George  Walker  and  Liz- 
zie Moore. 

The  Scott  school,  Little  Rock,  which  has  had  the  fol- 
lowing teachers  :  Catharine  Tenny,  Charlotte  Cromwell, 
Mary  Clifford,  Olive  Rowley,  Benjamin  Darnell,  Caro- 
line Tenny,  Sarah  Favor  and  Samuel  Davis. 

The  Van  Cleve  school,  Seward.  The  first  three 
teachers  were :  Richard  Polk,  Mr.  Merrill  and  Mr. 
Gould. 

The  Serrine  school,  on  the  river  bank  east  of  Milling- 
ton,  was  an  off-shoot  from  the  older  district,  and  ran  but 
a  few  years.  Miss  French,  Miss  Walker  and  Miss  Jack- 
son were  teachers. 

At  least  three 

CHURCH  BUILDINGS 

were  erected : — the  Millington  church,  North  Luther- 
an church  and  Lisbon  Baptist  church.  The  pastors 
connected  with  the  latter  up  to  1870,  were  N.  F. 
Ravlin,  Mr.  Bassett,  Mr.  Scott,  Mr.  Wolfe  and  J.  H. 
Kent.  All  the  churches  were  visited  with  such  deep 
revivals  of  religion  as  had  not  been  known  among  them 
for  fifteen  years.  And  this  notwithstanding  the  condi- 
tion of  the  roads,  which  were  unusually  bad — worse  than 
they  had  been  since  1843.  The  reverses  in  business  met 
with  the  preceding  year,  and  the  peculiar  financial  dis- 
tress of  the  country,  were  favorable,  as  such  troubles 
always  are,  to  devotion  and  spiritual  life.  So  that  many 
could  thankfully  say,  with  Psalms,  119:67,  "Before  I 
was  afilicted  I  went  astray,  but  now^  have  I  kept  thy 
word." 

It  was  the  want  of  this  that  led  John  Brenner  to  shoot 


ANTON  CONRAD  SHOT.  291 

Anton  Conrad  in  Na-au-say  during  the  winter.  The 
difficulty  originated  while  cutting  wood  in  Aux  Sable 
Grove.  Brennen,  to  be  revenged,  came  in  the  night  and 
shot  Conrad  through  the  window,  killing  him,  and  then 
like  a  madman  stayed  around  firing  off  his  gun  until 
morning.  He  was  tried  and  sentenced  to  be  hung,  but 
afterward  adjudged  insane  and  taken  to  the  asylum  at 
Jacksonville.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  was 
released,  and  went  into  the  army. 

Not  much  of  note  occurs  in  the  history  of  the  year 
1858.  Business  prostration  continued  and  the  wheels 
of  society  moved  very  slowly.  The  Becker  school,  Na- 
au-say,  was  opened,  and  the  first  teachers  were  Nancy 
Burns,  Maggie  and  Louisa  Cooper  and  James  Buchanan. 


CHAPTER  XLU. 


THE  PLANO  HARVESTERS. 

HE  year  1859  opened  prosperously,  and 
was  an  especially  favorable  season  for 
railroads.  The  '*  Cliicao;o  and  Plain- 
field  Railroad"  was  to  run  from  Chicago 
to  Ottawa,  through  Plainfield,  Lisbon 
and  Newark.  A  company  was  formed 
and  a  charter  obtained.  The  part  of  the  company  in 
this  county  were  John  Moore,  John  Litsey,  A.  K. 
Wheeler,  William  Thurber  and  Benjamin  Ricketson.  If 
the  road  had  been  built,  the  circumstances  of  those  old 
prairie  towms  would  have  been  different.  The  long  con- 
templated "  Joliet  and  Terre  Haute  Railroad,"  having 
lain  still  five  years,  turned  over  and  took  a  new  name. 
The  first  division  was  called  the  "  Joliet,  Newark  and 
Mendota  Railroad,"  and  was  pushed  vigorously  forward. 
The  farmers  along  the  line  took  hold  of  it,  and  consid- 
erable grading  was  done.  But  the  only  visible  results 
to-day  are  huge  embankments  and  deep  cuttings,  which 
the  farmers  can  neither  pasture  nor  plow,  and  which,  if 
their  origin  should  pass  into  oblivion,  would  be  classed 
by  our  descendants  with  the  mysterious  works  of  the 
Indian  mound-builders.     And  good  old  Newark,  instead 


DEATH    OF   SHABBONA.  293 

of  being  the  bustling  junction  of  the  Chicago  and  Plain- 
field  Railroad  and  the  Joliet,  Newark  and  Mendota 
Railroad,  is  only  Newark  still.  The  latter  road  was  to 
be  the  Eastern  Division  of  the  Illinois  Grand  Trunk 
Railway — and  thus  we  were  at  once  to  be  in  the  middle 
of  the  world.  At  a  town  meeting,  held  in  October,  Big 
Grove,  by  a  vote  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  to  ninety, 
voted  to  issue  bonds  for  twenty  thousand  dollars  in  aid 
of  the  road — the  interest  to  be  payable  when  the  line 
was  graded  through  to  Mendota.  A  thousand  dollar 
bond,  however,  was  issued,  and  one  year's  interest  paid 
on  it.  In  1869  the  town  was  sued  for  further  payment, 
but  with  no  result. 

Another  improvement  made  during  the  year  was  a 
bridge  over  the  river,  on  the  town  line,  at  Post's  mill. 
It  stood  nine  years,  and  was  carried  away  by  a  freshet 
in  1868.  A  part  of  the  stone  abutment  on  one  end  is 
all  that  is  left. 

July  17th,  Shabbona,  the  hero  of  1832,  died  on  his 
twenty  acre  farm,  near  Seneca,  aged  eighty- four  years. 
His  wife,  Wionex  Oquawka  Shabbona,  followed  him 
November  30th,  1864,  aged  eighty-six  years,  and  was 
buried  by  his  side  in  the  Morris  cemetery.  A  daughter 
and  grand-daughter  are  also  buried  there — but  as  yet  no 
monument  marks  the  spot.  Morris  is  an  appropriate 
place  for  an  Indian  to  be  buried,  as  many  of  his  race 
have  been  laid  there.  The  cedar  pole  at  the  grave  of 
the  chief  Nacquett  still  stands,  or  did  a  short  time  ago, 
and  in  1845  no  less  than  nineteen  funeral  mounds  were 
visible. 

The  Faxon  school,    Little  Rock,  dates   from  1859. 


294  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

Miss  Haigh,  Mr.  Seeley  and  Mr.  Smith  were  early 
teachers.  In  1867,  the  old  wooden  building  on  the 
Bristol  side  of  the  line  was  superceded  by  the  present 
brick  structure.  William  Grimwood,  and  Emma  and 
Amelia  Spencer  were  the  first  teachers  in  it. 

PLANO  HARVESTER  AVORKS. 

The  originator  of  the  idea  of  binding  grain  on  the 
machine  as  it  is  cut,  is  Augustus  Adams,  of  Sandwich, 
then  of  Elgin,  who  took  the  hint  from  Thomas  Judd,  of 
Sugar  Grove,  in  1850.  The  latter  was  testing  a  new 
McCormick  reaper  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Adams,  when 
he  exclaimed :  "  The  day  will  come  when  men  will  not 
be  so  foolish  as  to  throw  their  grain  on  the  ground  and 
then  tear  their  hands  in  the  stubble  while  getting  it  up 
again."  It  was  a  seed  thought.  Mr.  Adams  bore  it 
away  with  him,  and  within  two  months  produced  the 
first  harvester  with  a  binder's  platform.  When  the  pat- 
ent was  applied  for,  it  was  rejected,  and  for  much  the 
same  reason  as  Capt.  Ericson's  little  Monitor,  was 
despised — for  its  strangeness.  But  in  1852  it  was  pat- 
ented by  Sylla  &  Adams,  and  manufactured  at  Elgin. 
The  elevator  for  bringing  the  grain  to  the  binder  was 
introduced  by  Watson  and  Rennick.  The  Adams  pat- 
ent, in  1859,  was  sold  to  Aultman  &  Co.,  Ohio.  There 
was  a  great  prejudice  against  the  machines  for  years,  for 
they  were  ahead  of  the  times.  But  they  have  outlived 
all  that,  and  of  the  many  kinds  that  are  now  made,  two, 
the  Marsh  and  McEwen,  come  from  this  county,  although 
only  the  former  is  manufactured  here.  Messrs.  C.  W. 
and  W.  W.  Marsh  commenced  their  harvester  in  1857, 
and  built  various  experimental  machines  up  to  1860. 


THE    INITIAL    HARVESTER.  295 

During  the  following  winter,  John  Hollister  and  W. 
W.  Marsh  built  one  at  Piano,  which  varied  in  several 
points  from  the  previous  model,  and  on  trial  was  found 
to  work  well.     It  was  the  initial  harvester. 

In  the  fall  of  1863  their  manufacture  was  begun  at 
Piano,  bj  C.  W.  Marsh  and  George  Steward,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Steward  &  Marsh.  Lewis  Steward  fur- 
nished the  capital.  They  were  made  in  the  stone  shop. 
The  first  building  on  the  ground  was  Steward  &  Hen- 
ning's  warehouse,  with  an  engine  for  elevating  grain. 
In  1858  Lewis  Steward  built  the  stone  shop,  though  it 
was  not  yet  determined  to  what  purpose  it  should  be  put. 
For  its  first  use,  with  the  help  of  a  warehouse  engine,  it 
was  turned  into  a  sorghum  mill,  and  a  sash  factory  by 
Latham  &  Doty  followed.  For  the  harvest  of  1864,  fifty 
machines  were  begun  and  twenty-six  finished.  The 
remainder  were  finished  for  1865.  In  the  meantime, 
under  a  contract  with  another  manufacturer  at  Beloit, 
sixty  machines  were  made,  with  some  additional  improve- 
ments— all  of  which  were  experimental.  The  finish  of 
the  coming  harvester  had  not  yet  been  reached.  In  1866, 
one  hundred  machines  were  made  at  Piano.  W.  W. 
Marsh  came  in  and  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Marsh 
Brothers  &  Steward,  and  from  that  time  the  business 
went  on  steadily  increasing.  The  pioneer  difficulties 
incident  to  such  great  undertakings  were  nearly  over- 
come, and  the  Marsh  Harvester  was  an  assured  success. 
In  1867-8,  six  hundred  were  manufactured.  At  the 
latter  date  Lewis  Steward  was  received  into  the  firm  as 
an  open  partner,  and  the  name  became  Marsh,  Steward 
&  Co.     In  1869,  seven  hundred  and  fifty  were  manufac- 


296  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

tured ;  in  1870,  one  thousand ;  in  1871,  fourteen  hun- 
dred, and  the  same  the  year  following  :  in  1873,  twenty- 
seven  hundred  and  fifty;  and  in  1874,  five  thousand  ; 
while  during  1875-6,  there  were  put  out  from  the  Piano 
shops,  ten  thousand  harvesters.  Gammon  k  Deering, 
of  Chicago,  are  the  present  proprietors  (since  Oct.  1875), 
and  they  are  making  also  the  Sprague  mower,  the  J.  II. 
Gordon  binder,  and  other  implements,  and  do  a  business 
of  one  million  dollars  annually. 

The  Marsh  brothers  have  a  manufactory  of  their  own 
at  Sycamore,  where  also  their  harvesters  are  extensively 
made,  but  the  credit  must  ever  remain  with  Kendall 
county  of  giving  to  the  world  the  best  harvester  ever 
invented — one  with  which  three  men  can  do  the  same 
work  it  formerly  required  eight  men  to  do.  The  old 
fashioned  harvest  time  has  lost  its  magnitude,  and  takes 
its  place  in  the  year  with  other  ordinary  employments. 

In  1860,  also.  Nelson  Messenger,  of  Newark,  brought 
out  his  "  Gopher,"  or  corn  cultivator,  which  has  had 
such  a  run  since,  and  is  now  manufactured  by  Edward 
Budd  at  the  Millbrook  factory.  Parley  Freeland  had 
invented  a  previous  gopher,  in  1858,  and  the  peculiar 
name  appears  to  have  been  given  to  it  then. 

Two  murders  during  the  year  disgrace  our  county 
annals  ;  one  the  result  of  a  saloon  brawl  and  the  other  of 
business  hate.  Stephen  Jennings  and  a  Norwegian, 
having  had  a  previous  quarrel,  renewed  it  in  a  saloon  in 
Newark,  kept  by  Isaac  Harris,  and  Jennings  was  killed. 
The  murderer  was  acquitted  on  the  plea  of  having  acted 
in  self-defense.  W.  Boyd  was  a  money  broker  in  Bristol, 
and  was  shot  dead  in  his  office  one  stormy  night,  prob- 


MURDER    OF   W.    BOYD.  297 

ablv  by  some  one  who  thus  took  revenge  for  some  busi- 
ness difficulty.  No  clue  to  the  murderer  was  ever  found, 
and  he  will  probably  have  his  first  trial  at  the  bar  of 
God. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  Bristol  Station  school  house  was  built,  and  Gil- 
bert Lester  w^as  the  first  teacher ;  then  Mr.  Alford,  Mr. 
Boomhaur,  C.  Smith  and  A.  D.  Curran. 

Two  years  before  the  school  house  was  built,  a  school 
was  kept  by  G.  G.  Hunt,  in  a  small  shanty  where  the 
Robinson  house  now  stands. 

The  Windett  school,  Bristol,  has  had  the  following 
teachers :  Nancy  C.  Young,  Lyman  Ford,  Arthur  Barnes 
and  R.  W.  Grover. 

The  Booth  school,  Lisbon,  has  had  the  following  teach- 
ers :  Mary  and  Elsie  Ayer,  Ada  Tupper,  Maggie  Leitch 
and  Maggie  Cooper. 

The  Worsley  school,  Lisbon.  Sarah  Lowry,  Mary 
Brown  and  Miss  Clegg  were  early  teachers. 

The  same  year  the 

YORKVILLE  CHURCH 

was  built,  Michael  Lewis  being  the  preacher  in  charge. 
A  class  had  been  organized  two  years  before,  and  held 
its  meetings  in  the  school  house.  The  succeeding  pas- 
tors have  been  :  Melvin  Smith,  Mr,  Taplin,  A.  D.  Field, 
Mr.  Lee,  J.  B.  McGuffin,  John  Ellis,  Mr.  Freeman,  Mr. 
Cone,  T.  H.  Hazeltine  and  Mr.  Brookins. 

In  1860,  Fairview  M.  E.  Church  was  built  near  Hol- 
derman's  grove,  on  the  High  Prairie  Circuit — named 
Fairview  by  Father  Lewis.  B.  D.  Linebarger  and  C. 
W.  Batchelder  preached  there  at  a  very  early  day.  After 

20 


298  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY. 

that,  Revs.  Plumb,  Fiddler,  Irving,  Flowers  and  0.  H. 
Hutchins  preached  in  the  school  house  ;  then,  in  the 
meeting  house,  Mr.  Wallace  and  Mr.  Adams,  and,  fin- 
ally, T.  L.  Helliwell.  After  the  latter  left,  the  society 
was  too  poor  to  maintain  preaching,  and  the  house  was 
sold  to  Russell  Wing  for  a  barn. 

The  Greenfield  school.  Fox,  was  opened  in  1861. 
The  first  teachers  were  :  Mary  Walker,  James  Ward, 
Josephine  Hay  and  George  Walreth.  Its  predecessor 
was  the  Rogers  school,  started  in  1859,  and  had  the 
following  teachers:  J.  J.  Baird  and  James  Near.  The 
first  in  the  district  was  the  Darnell  school,  built  in  1849 
in  the  timber  near  the  Millbrook  ford.  Among  the 
teachers  were  :  Emily  Webster,  Cynthia  Wood,  Delia 
Southworth,  Edward  Malker,  Amelia  Smith  and  Julia 
Short.  The  two  former  schools  were  consolidated  in 
1870. 

"OAK    GROVE    CEMETERY," 

at  Bristol  Station,  was  laid  out  on  L.  S.  Knox's  land  in 
1862.  J.  Loucks  was  the  first  one  buried  there.  It  is  a 
pleasant  site,  and  contains  some  fine  monuments,  espe- 
cially those  of  John  C.  Scofield,  Orrin  Kennedy,  Au- 
gustus Boutwell,  Joab  Austin,  William  Thurber  and 
Mrs.  Susan  Short.     In  1863 

THE    MORMONS, 

or  "  Re-organized  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day 
Saints,"  made  their  headquarters  at  Piano.  After  the 
troubles  at  Nauvoo,  in  1844,  they  were  scattered  abroad 
until,  in  1853,  in  Wisconsin,  a  re-organization  was 
effected  under  Joseph  Smith  jr.  The  first  general  con- 
ference of  the  re-organized  body  was  held  at   Amboy, 


THE  LATTER  DAY  SAINTS.  299 

Illinois,  in  1860,  at  which  time  Mr.  Smith  was  recog- 
nized as  President  of  all  branches  of  the  church  through- 
out the  world.  He  has  for  ten  years  past  resided  at 
Piano.  They  have  there  a  well  ordered  publishing  house, 
from  which  they  issue  denominational  books,  and  two 
semi-monthly  papers, the  ^'' Latter  Day  Saints'  Herald'' 
— transferred  from  Cincinnati — and  "  Zions  ITope,"  a 
children's  paper.  They  differ  from  evangelical  believers 
mainly  in  receiving  the  Book  of  Mormon  as  of  equal 
authority  with  the  Bible.  They  have  in  Piano  a  church 
of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  members,  F.  G.  Pitt, 
formerly,  and  Elder  Smith,  the  present  pastor.  They 
have  also  a  church  in  Sandwich. 

-  The  school  house  of  District  No.  5,  Oswego,  was  built 
in  the  fall  of  1863.  Early  teachers :  Lyman  Pike, 
Lizzie  R.  Winn,  Mary  Tremain,  Mary  Smith,  Anna 
Mason,  Anna  Reed  and  R.  V.  Beach. 

During  these  years  ordinary  items  of  interest  appear 
scarce,  because  dwarfed  into  insignificance  by  the  absorb- 
ing interest  and  larger  magnitude  of  our  civil  war.  This, 
like  the  rising  of  the  sun,  puts  so  completely  out  of  sight 
all  lesser  orbs,  that  they  drift  by  without  drawing  our 
attention. 


CHAPTER  XLllI. 


T    f 


THE  FIRST  GUN 


JN    Saturday,    April    13th,    1861,   Fort 
Sumpter  surrendered  to  the  secession- 
ists.    It  was  an  exciting  Sabbath  that 
followed,  and  on  Monday  evening  this 
'dispatch  was  received  at  Springfield  : 

"  Call  made  on  you  to-night  for  six  regiments 
of  militia  for  immediate  service. 

Simon  Cameron,  Sec'y  of  War." 

Four  days   afterward   the  following  flashed  over  the 

wires  to  Chicago : 

"  To  Gen.  Swift  : — As  quick  as  possible  have  as  strong  a  force  as 
you  can  raise,  armed  and  equipped  with  ammunition  and  accoutre- 
ments, and  a  company  of  artillery,  ready  to  march  at  a  moment's 
warning.     A  messenger  will  start  to  Chicago  to-night. 

Richard  Yates." 

The  dispatch  was  received  at  eleven  o'clock  Friday 
evening,  and  at  eleven  oclock  on  Sunday  evening,  five 
hundred  and  ninety-five  men  and  four  pieces  of  artillery 
started  for  Cairo.  They  Avere  followed  on  Monday  by 
three  hundred  and  thirteen  men,  among  them,  Captain 
Carr's  company,  of  Sandwich,  in  which  were  the  follow- 
ing Kendall  county  men :  Samuel  Faxon,  Lucien  Hem- 
enway,  Hiram  Dayton,  Thomas  Darnell,  Walter  Atkins, 


THE  THREE  MONTHS  VOLUNTEERS.       301 

William  Hall,  Alfred  Darnell,  Geo.  S.  Bartlett,  Geo.  A. 
Hough,  Nicholas  Costar,  Jas.  J.  Hummel],  Jas.  Howard, 
Edgar  Percival,  William  H.  Ross,  Henry  C.  Smith,  Har- 
low Tuttle  and  Thomas  Welsh.  Another,  Jas.  A.  Lan- 
nigan,  enlisted  at  Springfield  in  Capt.  Gibson's  company. 
These  were  our  first  offering  to  the  war,  and  they  were 
on  their  way  five  days  after  the  receipt  of  the  Govern- 
or's proclamation.  Capt.  Carr  was  granted  his  commis- 
sion on  Friday,  and  in  twenty-four  hours  his  company 
was  full.  Capt.  Houghtaling's  company,  of  Ottawa,  was 
one  day  ahead.  All  these  tjoops  were  enlisted  for  three 
months  only,  and  were  armed  with  such  guns  and  rifles  as 
could  be  found  at  home  or  in  the  stores  at  Chicago. 
There  were  not  more  than  six  hundred  available  gov- 
ernment muskets  in  all  Illinois.  The  Sandwich  com- 
pany became  a  part  of  the 

TENTH  REGIMENT, 

and  most  of  them  re-enlisted  for  three  years,  as  did  also 
the  other  three  months  regiments,  numbered  Seventh  to 
Twelfth.  The  Seventh  was  the  first,  the  preceding  six 
having  been  raised  for  the  Mexican  war.  The  Tenth' 
was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  took 
part  in  most  of  the  battles  of  that  region  during  the  war. 
Their  first  Colonel,  Benjamin  M.  Prentiss,  became  a 
Major  General.  Their  flag  was  presented  to  them  by 
the  ladies  of  Alton.  Out  of  their  number,  during  the 
war,  twenty-seven  were  killed,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
died  from  wounds  and  disease,  and  over  one  hundred 
were  discharged  for  disability.     The 

SEVENTH  REGIMENT, 

in  which  were   a  number  of  our  men,  was  in  the  same 


302  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

army,  and  suffered  a  loss  of  seventy  killed,  one  hundred 
and  forty-four  from  disease  and  wounds,  and  seventy-five 
discharged  from  the  same  causes.  They  were  in  four 
teen  battles.  Seventeen  of  their  number  were  starved 
to  death  in  Andersonville  prison  pen  in  six  months, 
from  May  to  November,  1864. 

But  though  the  boys  of  the  Tenth  were  the  first  in 
the  field,  they  were  not  the 

FIRST  TO  ENLIST. 
That  honor  belongs  to  a  company  of  Kendall  county 
volunteers,  without  historic  fame  save  in  local  history. 
Fort  Sumpter  fell  at  noon  on  the  13th  of  April,  and  in 
the  evening  of  the  same  day,  a  crowded  and  excited 
mass  meeting  was  held  in  the  Court  House  in  Oswego. 
Speeches  were  made  by  Judge  Helm,  Judge  Ricketson, 
A.  B.  Smith,  and  others.  x\.t  last  Lyman  G.  Bennett 
was  called  out.  He  remarked  that  this  was  a  time  for 
action  rather  than  words.  It  was  a  time  when  men  were 
needed  ;  and  he  asked  how  many  would  then  and  there 
volunteer  for  their  country.  He  held  in  his  hand  a 
paper  with  one  name  on  it — his  own.  Who  would  go, 
if  need  be  ?  The  spark  of  patriotism  canght  like  fire 
in  dry  tinder,  and  in  a  few  minutes  eighty  names  were 
enrolled.  James  Cliggitt  was  the  first  to  put  down  his 
name  under  Mr.  Bennett's.  The  company  was  soon 
full,  and  drilled  every  day  under  Captain  A.  B.  Hall, 
and  awaited  orders  from  the  Governor  to  proceed  to  the 
front.  But  the  six  regiments  called  for  were  already 
full,  and  several  hundred  volunteers,  the  Oswego  com- 
pany among  them,  were  left  out.  Most  of  the  accepted 
companies,   too,    were   over-full,   and   among    the    most 


THE   THIRTEENTH   REGIMENT.  303 

touching  incidents  of  the  time  was  the  rejection  of  these 
surplus  volunteers.  Men  who  had  left  their  homes  at 
an  hour's  notice  to  enter  the  service  of  their  country, 
wept  at  the  disappointment  of  being  refused  admission 
to  their  companies  on  muster  day.  Provision  was  made 
for  one  month's  pay  for  them,  and  they  filed  their  rolls 
and  were  mustered  out  of  service. 

Some  of  the  first  Oswego  company  re-enlisted  at 
Sandwich,  in  F.  W.  Partridge's  company,  and  others  at 
Aurora,  in  B.  F.  Parks'  company- — both  of  which  were 
incorporated  in  the 

THIRTEENTH  REGIMENT, 

under  Colonel  John  B.  Wyman,  who  was  killed  at  Chick- 
asaw Bayou,  Mississippi,  December  28th,  1862,  They 
lost  during  the  war,  thirty-seven  killed  on  the  field,  one 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  died  from  wounds  and  disease, 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  were  discharged.  About 
forty  Kendall  county  soldiers  belonged  to  the  regiment. 
At  the  close  of  the  first  three  years  of  the  war,  it  was 
consolidated  with  the  Fifty-sixth  Illinois.  Their  silk 
flag  has  become  famous  as  being  the  first  Union  fiag 
unfurled  in  Richmond  after  its  evacuation.  It  had  been 
captured,  and  was  hanging  in  the  office  of  the  keeper  of 
Libby  Prison  as  a  trophy,  and  was  taken  from  thence 
by  John  F.  Locke,  of  the  Thirty-ninth  Massachusetts, 
about  7:30  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  3d,  and 
given  to  the  breeze  from  one  of  the  windows  of  the 
prison.  The  Federal  cavalry  were  about  a  mile  off*, 
approaching  the  city,  and  straggling  Rebel  soldiers  were 
still  on  the  streets.  This  flag,  with  many  other  battle 
flags,  is  preserved  at  Springfield.     During  the  last  week 


304  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

in  April,  a  company  was  recruited  by  Dr.  Reuben  F. 
Dyer,  at  Newark,  for  the 

TWENTIETH  REGIMENT. 

The  initial  mass  meeting  was  held  in  the  Baptist  church. 
,  Speeches  were  made,  and  a  large  number  enlisted.  Fifty- 
five  of  Company  K  were  residents  of  this  county — 
mostly  from  around  Newark.  There  were  about  seventy 
in  the  entire  regiment.  Captain  Dyer,  after  nine  months, 
resigned,  and  was  followed  by  Captain  John  W.  Boyer, 
and  Captain  Perry  W.  Spellman.  The  regiment  was 
mustered  in  at  Joliet,  under  Colonel  C.  C.  Marsh,  and 
at  the  close  of  their  first  year's  service  received  a  hand- 
some new  flag  from  the  citizens  of  Chicago,  for  gallant 
conduct  on  the  fields  of  Frederickstown  and  Donelson. 
With  the  one  exception  of  the  Thirty-sixth,  they  sufi'ered 
the  severest  losses  of  any  regiment  raised  in  this  part  of 
the  State,  having  eighty-three  killed  on  the  field,  two 
hundred  deaths  in  the  hospitals,  and  one  hundred  and 
sixteen  discharges  by  reason  of  wounds  and  disease. 
But  the 

THIRTY-SIXTH    REGIMENT 

was  above  all  others  emphatically  our  own.  It  was 
recruited  in  July,  1861.  Company  D  was  raised  in 
Lisbon  by  Dr.  William  P.  Pierce ;  Company  E  in  Little 
Rock  and  Bristol,  by  Charles  D.  Fish  and  Albert  M. 
Hobbs  ;  Company  F  in  Newark,  by  Porter  C.  Oleson  ; 
and  Company  I  in  Oswego,  by  Samuel  C.  Camp.  Over 
three  hundred  altogether  enlisted  in  this  regiment  from 
Kendall  county.  It  w^as  called  at  first  the  Fox  River 
Regiment.  Nicholas  Greusel  was  its  first  Colonel.  On 
his  resignation,  in  1863,  Silas  Miller  succeeded,  and  after 


DEATH   OF   COL.    OLESON.  305 

his  death  in  1864,  from  wounds  received  at  Kenesaw 
mountain,  Porter  C.  Oleson  commanded.  He  was  killed 
at  Franklin,  November  30th,  1864,  and  was  succeeded 
by  B.  F.  Campbell.  Among  the  battles  in  which  the 
regiment  took  part  were  Pea  Ridge,  Perryville,  Stone 
River,  Murfreesboro,  Chickamauga,  Chattanooga,  Dal- 
ton,  Resaca,  Adairsville,  Kenesaw,  Atlantic,  Franklin 
and  Nashville.  The  battle  of  Stone  River  was  particu- 
larly and  terribly  severe.  During  these  awful  eight  days 
forty-four  men  were  killed  on  the  field,  and  the  killed, 
wounded  and  missing  were  three  hundred  and  six,  or 
nearly  one-half  the  entire  regiment.  Colonel  Greusel 
reported,  "  I  came  out  of  the  action  with  only  two 
hundred  men." 

During  the  war  one  hundred  and  twenty  were  killed, 
one  hundred  and  eighty  died,  and  two  hundred  and 
twenty  discharged  from  disability.  This  does  not  include 
the  losses  of 

COMPANY  A  CAVALRY, 

Capt.  Albert  Jenks,  which  was  raised  in  this  county, 
and  formed,  with  another  company  raised  at  Elgin,  part 
of  the  Thirty-sixth.  These  and  other  independent  com- 
panies were  in  the  beginning  of  1863  consolidated  into 
one  regiment,  the  Fifteenth  Cavalry — our  company  being 
Company  I.  In  the  beginning  of  1865,  it  was  consoli- 
dated with  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  and  lettered  as  Company 
M.  It  was  in  active  service  on  the  field  during  the  entire 
war,  and  lost  in  the  last  two  years,  twenty-six  died  and 
twenty-two  discharged.     While  the  Thirty-sixth  was  still 


306  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

in  camp,  near  Aurora,  Capt.  Chas.  D.  Townsend  received 
his  commission  to  enlist  a  company  for  the 

FOURTH    CAVALRY, 

Col.  T.  Lyle  Dickey  commanding.  It  was  mustered  in 
as  Company  C.  About  sixty-five  men  enlisted  in  it  from 
this  county,  besides  several  in  Company  B,  of  which 
Garrett  L.  Collins  was  lieutenant,  and  afterwards  cap- 
tain. The  losses  of  the  regiment  were  twenty- one  killed, 
one  hundred  and  sixty-five  died  and  two  hundred  and 
sixty  discharged.  In  1865  they  were  consolidated  with 
the  Twelfth  Cavalry — both  regiments  making  but  the  full 
number  of  one. 

The  total  enlistments  from  this  county  during  1861 
were  between  four  and  five  hundred,  while  our  quota  was 
but  three  hundred  and  sixty-seven — the  entire  quota 
of  the  State  being  about  forty-eight  thousand.  Besides 
the  regiments  mentioned,  we  were  also  represented  in  the 
Eighth  Cavalry,  and  Twenty-third,  Forty  sixth,  Forty- 
seventh,  Fifty-third  and  Sixty-ninth  Infantry. 


CHAPTER   XLIV. 


DEEPER  STRUGGLES. 


f  N  THE  fall  of  1862,  the  number  of  our 
soldiers  was  doubled,  as  more  than  four 
hundred  new  men  went  to  the  front,  prin- 
cipally in  four  regiments.  Recruiting 
offices  were  busily  running  at  the  same 
time  in  Bristol,  Lisbon,  Newark,  Little 
Rock,  Piano  and  Oswego.  The  real 
meaning  and  magnitude  of  the  war  was  at  last  thoroughly 
comprehended,  and  the  country  meant  business.  Com- 
pany H,  of  the 

EIGHTY-NINTH  REGIMENT, 

was  recruited  at  Bristol — Henry  S.  Willett,  captain.  He 
was  killed  at  Stone  River,  and  was  succeeded  by  Frank- 
lin M.  Hobbs  and  John  A.  Beeman.  The  entire  com- 
pany, except  two  or  three  recruits,  was  raised  in  this 
county. 

The  Eighty-ninth  was  at  first  called  the  "Railroad 
Regiment."  First  colonel,  John  Christopher  of  the  U. 
S.  Army  ;  second,  Chas.  T.  Hotchkiss.  Its  heaviest  losses 
were  at  Chickamauga^  where  one  hundred  and  nine 
were   killed,   wounded    and   missing ;    at  Stone  River, 


308  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

one  hundred  and  forty-two ;  and  before  Atlanta,  two 
hundred  and  eleven.  It  was  in  twenty-five  battles, 
and  lost  a  total,  as  marked  on  the  company  rolls, 
of  seventy-one  killed,  two  hundred  and  eleven  died, 
and  one  hundred  and  eio;hty-eight  discharged.  Yet 
these  are  not  the  complete  figures,  since  deserters,  pris- 
oners, and  those  sick  in  the  hospitals  at  the  time  of  mus- 
tering out,  are  not  counted.  Nor,  indeed,  would  the 
figures  be  accurate  even  then,  for  at  the  close  of  three 
years  the  regiment  numbered  but  six  hundred,  all  told, 
out  of  a  total  of  fourteen  hundred  veterans  and  recruits. 

The  figures  given  in  this  history  are  mostly  from  the 
official  reports,  but,  probably,  in  the  case  of  every  regi- 
ment, should  be  increased  by  about  one-half,  in  order  to 
arrive  at  the  approximate  truth.  Of  the  deaths  in  the 
Eighty-ninth,  nearly  one-fourth  must  be  credited  to  An- 
dersonville.  Fifty  of  its  men  were  there  first  reduced 
to  skeletons  and  then  laid  away  in  their  hastily  made 
graves.  In  this,  it  had  a  record  unreached  by  any  other 
Illinois  regiment,  except  the  Sixteenth  Cavalry,  eighty 
of  whose  brave  boys  sleep  in  the  soil  outside  the  pine 
log  stockade  of  that  awful  prison  pen. 

The  Lisbon  company  of  1862,  Captain  Thomas  B. 
Hanna,  was  allotted  to  the 

NINETY-FIRST    REGIMENT, 

as  Company  E.  Capt.  Hanna  resigned  at  the  close  of 
the  year,  and  was  succeeded  by  first  Lieut.  Edwin  Brown, 
in  1863,  and  Sergeant  Frank  H.  Jordan  in  1864.  The 
entire  company,  one  hundred  and  three  in  number,  was 
from  the  southern   part  of  the  county.     The  regiment 


COUNTY  RECORD  OF  THE  WAR.         309 

was  commanded  to  the  close  of  the  war  by  Col.  Henry, 
M.  D.,  of  Morris,  promoted,  at  the  last.  Brevet  Briga- 
dier. 

It  did  not  suffer  like  many  of  the  other  regiments, 
losing  through  the  war  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  killed 
and  died  of  wounds  and  disease,  and  one  hundred  and 
forty  discharged  for  disability.  December  27th,  1862, 
the  entire  regiment  was  captured  by  Morgan's  cavalry, 
and  after  being  paroled  were  sent  to  Benton  Barracks, 
Missouri,  where  they  remained  about  six  months  before 
they  were  exchanged.  Their  subsequent  movements 
were  to  Vicksburg,  and  through  Louisiana  into  Texas. 
Company  G  of  the 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FOURTH  REGIMENT 

was  recruited  by  Johnson  Misner  in  Ottawa,  and  several 
Kendall  county  men  enlisted  in  it.  Captain  Misner 
resigned  in  1863,  and  was  succeeded  by  First  Lieuten- 
ant Selim  "White.  Absalom  B.  Moore  was  the  first  col- 
onel, and  Douglas  Hapeman  the  second.  The  regimental 
losses,  as  officially  reported,  were  seventy-one  killed,  one 
hundred  and  sixteen  died,  and  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  discharged.     Of  the 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY  SEVENTH  REGIMENT, 

three  companies  were  raised  principally  in  this  county. 
Company  A  was  raised  in  Oswego  by  Captain  William 
L.  Fowler,  who  was  succeeded  by  William  Walker  in 
1863,  and  by  William  S.  Bunn  in  1864.  Company  F 
was  raised  in  Little  Rock  by  Captain  Charles  Schryver, 
and  Company  K,  also  raised  in  Little  Rock,  by  Captain 
John   H.  Lowe.      About  two  hundred  and  forty  went 


310  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

from  Kendall  county  in  this  regiment.  Colonel  John 
Van  Arman  commanded — succeeded  in  1863  by  Colonel 
Hamilton  L.  Eldridge.  Its  losses  were  two  hundred 
killed  and  died,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  discharged. 
Thus,  five  companies  were  taken  out  of  this  county, 
and  that,  too,  in  the  busy  days  of  harvest.  The  call 
for  fifty  thousand  men  from  Illinois  was  made  in  July. 
On  August  5th,  the  decision  came  that  our  excess  of 
fifteen  thousand  could  not  then  be  noticed,  as  the  gov- 
ernment wanted  men,  and  that  as  much  of  the  quota  as 
was  not  full  by  August  18th,  should  be  filled  by  draft 
on  that  day.  Thus  to  raise  fifty  thousand  men  and 
avoid  the  draft,  only  thirteen  days  were  allowed,  but  it 
was  done.  A  tremendous  enthusiasm  rolled  over  the 
State,  every  patriot's  heart  was  thrilled  to  see  that  the 
government  was  in  dead  earnest,  and  on  August  16th, 
after  the  lapse  of  only  eleven  days,  Governor  Yates 
could  announce  the  proud  fact  that  the  Illinois  enlist- 
ment rolls  were  filled  !  The  quota  of  this  county  was 
two  hundred  and  fifteen,  a  total  with  the  preceding  year 
of  six  hundred  and  eighteen,  and  to  meet  this  nearly 
one  thousand  soldiers  had  gone  to  the  front — more  than 
one-third  of  all  the  able-bodied  men  in  the  county. 

WITH  THE  YEAR  1863 

came  the  draft.  In  some  places,  as  in  Iowa,  it  was 
received  as  the  only  possible  alternative  to  raise  men, 
and  operated  peaceably  ;  but  where  the  secesh  sentiment 
was  more  powerful,  it  was  resisted.  An  enrolling  officer 
was  murdered  in  Indiana,  and  in  New  York  city  the 
riot  lasted  through  five  July  days,  and  was  not  quelled 
until  twenty-five  of  the  military  and   police,   and  one 


QUOTA    OF   THE    COUNTY.  311 

hundred  and  fifty  of  the  rioters  were  killed  or  seriously 
wounded.  But  the  lawless  spirit  was  permanently  sub- 
dued, and  thereafter  the  ever  impending  draft  was  the 
peaceable  handmaid  of  each  fresh  call  for  troops.  But 
our  Northern  drafts  were  but  faint  resemblances  of  the 
universal  conscription  of  every  able-bodied  white  man, 
ordered  and  carried  out  in  the  South.  Three  hundred 
thousand  men  were  called  for  by  the  President,  October 
15th,  the  draft  to  follow  January  5th  in  all  places  where 
the  quota  was  not  full.  But  we  were  so  far  in  excess  of 
our  quota  as  to  have  nothing  to  fear.     However, 

IN  1864, 

our  resources  were  pretty  thoroughly  tried.  Three  calls 
were  made  during  the  year  for  a  total  of  one  million, 
two  hundred  thousand  new  men. 

Under  the  call  of  February  1st,  for  five  hundred 
thousand  men,  our  quota  was  about  three  hundred,  and 
was  already  filled.  Under  the  next  call,  March  15th, 
for  two  hundred  thousand  men,  our  quota  was  one  hund- 
red and  forty-one,  and  we  were  still  ahead.  But  when, 
July  18th,  a  call  was  made  for  five  hundred  thousand 
additional  men,  to  serve  for  one  year,  draft  to  follow 
September  5th,  Kendall  county  patriotism  was  put  to  a 
strain.  Our  quota  was  three  hundred  and  fifteen,  a  total 
from  the  beginning  of  one  thousand,  three  hundred  and 
seventy-four,  one-half  our  entire  militia,  and  no  loyal 
man  shrank.  The  towns  promptly  voted  appropriations 
of  from  three  to  nine  thousand  dollars  each — sixty-five 
thousand  dollars  altogether,  for  bounties,  and  the  county 
as  a  whole  as  promptly  incurred  obligations  amounting 


312  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

in  the  aggregate  to  one  hundred  and  seventy-three  thous- 
and dollars. 

Twelve  regiments  for  one  hundred  days  were  called 
for.  Of  these,  Company  F,  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-first,  was  enlisted  in  Newark,  while  many  went 
to  Aurora  and  enlisted  in  Company  C  of  the  One  Hund- 
red and  Thirty-second,  or  to  Morris,  in  Company  H  of 
the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-eighth.  The  first  went 
to  Columbus,  Kentucky ;  the  second  to  Paducah,  Ken- 
tucky, and  the  third  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  at 
which  places  they  remained  on  duty  during  their  time 
of  service.  The  last  call  was  for  regiments  to  serve  one 
year.  Of  these.  Company  D  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-sixth,  and  Company  A  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifty-sixth  was  largely  made  up  of  Kendall  county  men. 
The  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  was  divided  into 
detachments,  and  remained  in  the  State  at  difi^erent 
camps,  guarding  drafted  men  and  substitutes.  The  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-sixth  was  ordered  to  the  seat  of  war, 
but  did  guard  duty  principally.  It  was  the  last  regiment 
raised  in  Illinois,  and  was  organized  under  the  last  call 
for  troops,  issued  December  21st,  1864.  Under  it  our 
quota  was  two  hundred  and  eighteen,  a  total  of  one 
thousand,  five  hundred  and  fifty-one  ;  but  as  we  had 
avoided  the  draft  by  and  excess  of  thirty-seven,  we  were 
that  many  ahead,  and  had  but  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
one  men  ^^et  to  raise  in  the  young  months  of  1865. 
It  was  a  heavy  burden,  but  vigorously  the  work  went 
on,  and  when  in  the  following  April  the  great  rebellion 
collapsed  and  the  recruiting  was  stopped,  we  had  but 
four  men  yet  to  furnish  to  complete  our  quota  !      We 


LOSSES    IN    THE    ARMY.  313 

had  actually  furnished  one  thousand,  five  hundred  and 
forty-seven  soldiers,  and  the  State  of  Illinois  nearly 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand.  The  last  battle  of  the 
war  was  fought  May  12th,  and  the  next  day  the  people 
of  the  nation  subscribed  for  $30,000,000  of  the  new 
7-30  loan. 

Of  the  fifteen  hundred  men  furnished  by  Kendall 
county,  two  hundred  and  fifteen,  according  to  the  ofiicial 
report, 

LAID  DOWN  THEIR  LIVES. 

Of  these,  about  one  hundred  were  killed  on  the  field  or 
died  of  their  wounds.  Perryville,  Atlanta  and  Kene- 
saw  have  each  two  of  our  men.  Shiloh,  Rienzi,  Frank- 
lin and  Chattanooga  have  three  each.  Pea  Ridge,  Rolla, 
Pickett's  Mills  and  Milliken's  Bend  each  have  four. 
Young's  Point,  Murfreesboro'  and  Vicksburg  each  have 
five.  At  Memphis  seven  gave  up  their  lives,  and  the 
same  number  in  the  hated  prison  pen  at  Andersonville. 
Nashville  took  eight ;  Chickamauga  nine,  and  at  Stone 
River  thirteen  of  our  men  were  killed  on  the  field.  The 
first  death  from  our  county  was  William  Ashton,  who 
enlisted  at  Newark,  in  Company  K,  Twentieth  Illinois, 
and  died  at  Cape  Girardeau,  September  2nd,  1861.  The 
first  killed  were  Ira  0.  Fuller,  of  Company  E,  and  Paul 
Stevenson,  of  Company  F,  Thirty-sixth  Illinois;  both 
falling  at  Pea  Ridge,  March  7th,  1862.  John  Ray  was 
killed  in  the  same  battle  the  day  after.  The  last  killed 
were  William  Thumb  and  Knud  K.  Ganstow,  who  en- 
listed at  Lisbon  in  Company  E,  Ninety-first  Illinois,  and 
fell  while  investing  Spanish  Fort,  near  Mobile,  March 
29th,  1865.     The  last  who  died  were  Austin  Willett,  of 

21 


314  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Fox,  Company  K,  Forty-seventh  Illinois,  at  Demopolis, 
Alabama,  July  26th,  1865,  and  John  A.  Merrell,  of  Big 
Grove,  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  Illi- 
nois, at  Cahawba,  Alabama,  November  25th,  1865. 

THE  END  HAD  COME. 

The  Eighty-ninth  and  One  Hundred  and  Fourth  Infantry, 
and  Fourth  Cavalry  were  the  first  to  be  mustered  out, 
and  were  home  in  June.  The  Seventh,  Tenth,  Twen- 
tieth, Ninety-first,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  Infan- 
try, and  Eighth  Cavalry  were  home  in  July — most  of 
them  in  time  for  harvest.  The  remnant  of  the  Thir- 
teenth did  not  get  out  until  August,  and  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifty -sixth  until  September  ;  while  the  Thirty- 
sixth  did  not  arrive  until  the  forests  were  in  the  sere 
and  yellow  leaf,  in  the  end  of  October,  having  been 
employed  during  the  summer  on  guard  duty  at  New 
Orleans.  The  end  had  come.  Some  slept  in  Southern 
graves  ;  some  in  cemeteries  at  home  ;  and  the  surviving 
veterans,  laying  off  the  blue,  again  took  up  their  work 
where  they  left  it  on  enlistment  day. 

Among  the  most  beneficent  creations  of  the  war  were 
the  Soldiers'  Aid  Societies,  found  in  every  town,  and 
tributary  to  the  U.  S.  Sanitary  Commission.  Most  of 
them  held  weekly  sewing  meetings,  and  when  the  time 
had  come  to  send  away  a  box,  public  notice  was  given, 
and  cupboards  and  closets  were  ransacked  for  anything 
that  would  be  of  service  to  the  soldiers.  The  following 
is  a  list  of  articles  thus  sent  by  the  Kendall  County  Aid 
Society  to  the  army :  Apple  butter,  arm  slings,  blankets, 
blackberries,  beets,  beans,  butter,  bandages,  books,  cur- 
rant jelly,  cabbage,  catsup,  corn,  cotton  rags,  comfort- 


SANITARY    COMMISSION    SUPPLIES. 


315 


ables,  chickens,  cordial,  cash,  dried  fruit,  dried  corn, 
dried  apples,  dried  beef,  dressing  gowns,  drawers,  eggs, 
horse  radish  in  vinegar,  handkerchiefs,  light  groceries, 
magazines,  mittens,  pillows,  pillow  cases,  pin  cushions, 
potatoes,  pickled  onions,  cucumbers  and  potatoes,  plums, 
packages  of  papers,  pads,  pepper  sauce,  quilts,  rolls  of 
cloth,  sheets,  slippers,  shirts,  sourkraut,  turnips,  towels, 
tracts,  Testaments,  tea  and  woolen  socks. 

And  those  well  packed  boxes  were  blessed  freight  to 
the  sick  and  wounded  in  the  hospitals.  But  may  it  be 
long  before  a  similar  service  is  again  needed  in  our  land. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 


OUR  WAR  RECORD  FOR  1861. 


OLLOWING  is  the  name,  company, 
regiment  and  war  record  of  every 
Kendall  county  soldier,  so  far  as  could 
be  ascertained.  The  compiler  has 
availed  himself  of  every  means  of  in- 
formation in  his  power  in  order  that 
the  list  might  be  as  nearly  correct 
as  it  was  possible  to  make  it. 

The  Thirteenth  were  mustered  in  in  May,  the  Twen- 
tieth in  June,  the  Seventh  in  July,  the  Tenth  and  Thir- 


316  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

ty-sixth  in  August,  the  Fourth  and  Eighth  Cavalry  in 
September,  and  the  Thirteenth  Cavalry  in  December, 
1861.  

TOWN  OF  OSWEGO. 


THIRTEENTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  H. 

James  Cliggitt,  promoted  corporal. 
Simon  P.   Shamp,  killed  at   Chickasaw  Bayou,   Missis- 
sippi, December  29th,  1862. 
Walter  S.  Hunt,  promoted  sergeant. 
John  Martin,  served  four  years. 
William  A.  Hawley. 
George  W.  Walker. 

THIRTEENTH   REGIMENT,  COMPANY  I. 

James  T.  Haywood,   died  of  wounds,    December    14th, 

1863. 
George  W.  Sutherland,  served  three  years. 

SEVENTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  C. 

Thomas  J.  Carpenter,  served  four  years,  promoted  cor- 
poral. 
Patrick  Ruen. 
William  Schell. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  I. 

Samuel  C.  Camp,  captain,  resigned. 

Orville  B.  Merrill,  1st  lieutenant,  promoted  captain. 

Williah  Walker,  1st  lieutenant. 

William  F.  Sutherland,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

Andrew  Turner,  corporal,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

Gustavus  Voss,  sergeant,  promoted  2d  lieutenant. 

David  E.  Shaw,  sergeant,  promoted  2d  lieutenant. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  317 

Charles  F.  Case,  1st  sergeant,  promoted  adjutant,  died 
of  wounds  received  at  battle  of  Franklin,  December 
18tli,  1864. 

Abram  V.  Wormley,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  sergeant. 

Bartholomew  J.  VanValkenberg,  corporal,  four  years, 
promoted  hospital  steward. 

Joseph  W.  Halstead,  corporal,  disabled. 

Orrin  Dickey,  corporal. 

John  Lonegan,  corporal,  died  at  Nashville,  March  28th, 
1864. 

Dwight  Smith,  corporal,  promoted  sergeant,  died  at  An- 
napolis, March  10th,  1862. 

Levi  Cowan,  musician,  disabled  and  discharged. 

George  W.  Avery,  promoted  sergeant,  wounded  and  dis- 
charged October  7th,  1864. 

Samuel  Bartlett. 

George  Beck,  promoted  corporal,  four  years. 

Jacob  Barth,  promoted  corporal. 

Samuel  J.  Brownell,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Dec.  28th,  1861. 

Henry  H.  Barber,  transferred  to  Battery  H,  5th  U.  S. 
Artillery. 

E.  W.  Brundage,  promoted  quartermaster  sergeant. 

Dwight  G.  Cowan,  promoted  2nd  lieutenant. 

Michael  Cliggitt,  promoted  corporal,  died  in  Anderson- 
ville  prison,  September  14th,  1864  ;  number  of  his 
orrave,  8,750. 

William  Daley,  killed  at  Rolla,  Missouri,  Jan.  10,  1862. 

John  H.  Denton. 

Hobart  Doctor,  promoted  sergeant,  served  four  years. 

Leander  A.  Ellis,  promoted  corporal,  killed  at  Stone 
River,  January  2nd,  1863. 


318  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Ferdinand  Gaur,  died  in  Andersonville  prison,  Septem- 
ber 6th,  1864  ;  number  of  grave,  7,953. 

John  Grinnel,  died  at  Oswego,  March  2nd,  1864. 

Vincent  Gentsenburg,  served  four  years. 

William  Hinchman,  served  three  years. 

Joseph  Hummel. 

Nathan  Hunt,  transferred  to  Company  C,  2nd  Regiment 
V.  R.  C. 

Conrad  Lehrnichel,  served  four  years. 

Samuel  Mall,  re-enlisted,  wounded  and  discharged. 

Christ.  Mall,  died  of  wounds,  December  16th,  1863. 

Stephen  Minard,  died  at  Murfreesboro,  July  12th,  1863. 

David  W.  McKay,  died  at  Annapolis,  Jan.  29th,  1863. 

Antoine  Miller. 

John   Nolenburg,  transferred  to  Battery   G,  2nd   Ohio 
Artillery. 

Lewis  Power. 

John  Roth. 

Martin  Rinehart,  died   at   Pine  Grove,  Missouri,  April 
28th,  1862. 

John  B.  Sage. 

Benedict  Stall. 

Henry  Schroder. 

Henry  Schell. 

Benedict  Stamphley,  wounded  and  discharged. 

Frederick  Shanoret,  wounded  and  discharged. 

Charles  Snyder,  died  at  New  Albany,  Indiana,  October 
3d,  1864*! 

Elbert  M.  Saxton,  served  three  vears. 

Harvey   Tooley,   promoted    corporal,   died   at    Oswego, 
March  3d,  1864. 


WAR    RECORD    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY.  319 

William  Varner,  served  three  years. 

Christ.  Wentz,  served  four  years,  promoted  corporal. 

Peter  Wittman,  died  August  23d,  1863. 

Harvey  Webb. 

James  Wicks,  served  four  year^,  promoted  corporal. 

Thomas  Wild. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  C. 

Charles  D.  Townsend,  captain,  promoted  major. 

Asher  B.  Hall,  2nd  lieutenant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

George  W.  Wormley. 

Peter  L.  Loucks,  promoted  regimental  bugler. 

Isaac  Pearce,  served  three  years. 

Charles  E.  Baupre,  served  four  years,  promoted  sergeant. 

Henry  Eagle,  died  at  St.  Louis,  June  17th,  1862. 

Henry  Getty,  wounded. 

James  W.  Hopkins. 

Henry  C.  Smith,  died  of  wounds  at  Colliersville,  Tenn- 
essee, February  1st,  1863. 

John  S.  Moore,  killed  at  Centre  Hill,  Mississippi,  Jan- 
uary 27th,  1863. 

Edward  Mann,  promoted  quartermaster  sergeant. 

John  T.  Wormley. 

Andrew  J.  Haynes,  sergeant,  promoted  captain  in  First 
Missouri  Cavalry. 

David  Jolly,  promoted  2nd  lieutenant  Company  K. 

Milton  B.  Poage,  promoted  corporal. 

Robert  Jolly,  promoted  corporal. 

Elisha  Lilley,  promoted  corporal. 

Seth  D.  Walker. 

Kirk  L.  Walker,  promoted  corporal. 

FIFTY-THIRD  INFANTRY  COMPANY  B. 

Orrin  Kennedy,  died  at  St.  Louis,  May  29th,  1862. 


320  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Hugh  Kennedy,  promoted  2nd  lieutenant. 

SEVENTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  C. 

James  G.  Andrews,  served  four  years. 

FIFTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H. 

H.  Trumal. 

THIRTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  H. 

Stephen  Nellis,  wagoner. 
Elias  Darby. 
Abel  H.  Kellogg. 
Patrick  Rowan. 

TWENTIETH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  K. 

John  Gray,  sergeant. 
John  P.  Mullenix,  sergeant. 
Charles  K.  Bacon,  corporal,  served  four  years. 
Rice  S.  Baxter. 
John  Carey,  served  four  years. 

Samuel  Hagerman,  served  four  years,  promoted  corporal. 
William  Minard,  served  three  years. 
Aaron  P.  Paxton,  died  at  Newark,  May  4th,  1862. 
William    Shuger,   killed   at  Raymond,  Mississippi,  May 
12th,  1863.  

TOWN  OF  BRISTOL. 


THIRTEENTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  E. 

Thomas  Cooper,  served  three  years. 
Charles  0.  Fuller. 

John  H.  Jordan,  served  three  years. 
John  Leitch,  served  three  years. 
George  Middlemas. 

THIRTEENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H. 

James  B.  Lowry,  corporal,  promoted  sergeant. 
Lucius  W.  Smedley,  corporal. 


WAR   RECORD   OF   KENDALL   COUNTY.  321 

Merrill  F.  Boomer,  died  October  5th,  1863. 

Theodore  C.  Hays,  served  three  years. 

Isaac  P.  Hunt,  died  of  wounds,  March  12th,  1863. 

Justus  G.  Ketchum,  served  four  years. 

Benjamin  Morris,  served  three  years. 

John  G.  North. 

John  W.  Williams. 

SEVENTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  C. 

Gardner  T.  Bobo,  corporal. 
John  Crayton,  served  four  years. 

Ephraim  Smith,  died  while  on  veteran  furlough,  Feb- 
ruary, 1864. 

FIFTEENTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  I. 

Simeon  Bailey,  blacksmith,  served  four  years,  transferred 
to  Company  M,  10th  Illinois  Cavalry. 

Robert  Fralick,  promoted  corporal,  transferred  to  Com- 
pany M,  10th  Illinois  Cavalry. 

THIRIY-SIXTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  E. 

Albert  M,  Hobbs,  1st  lieutenant,  promoted  captain. 
William  H.  Clark,  2nd  lieutenant,  promoted  adjutant. 
Orrison  Smith,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant,  killed 

at  Chattanooga,  September  20th,  1863. 
Robert  B.   Ralston,  sergeant,  transferred  to  1st  U.  S. 

Engineers. 
William  J.  Willett,  corporal,  promoted  sergeant,  killed 

at  Chickamauga  September  20th,  1863. 
Thomas    P.    Hill,    corporal,    promoted    quarter-master 

sergeant. 
Herbert  Dewey,  wounded  and  prisoner. 
Hobart  D.  Carr. 
Milton  E.  Cornell,  wounded. 


322  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Patrick  Connor,  promoted  sergeant. 

Silas  F.  Dyer,  promoted  corporal. 

Henry  C.  Baxter,  killed  at  Chickamauga. 

Frederick  Beier,  served  four  years. 

Erastus  Beecher,  died  of  wounds,  November  14,  1862. 

Delmar  Burnside,  re-enlisted,  and  taken  prisoner. 

Christ  Batterman,  served  four  years. 

Charles  W.  Doane,  wounded. 

Bradley  W.  Doane. 

Ira  0.  Fuller,  killed  at  Pea  Ridge,  March  7,  1862. 

Henry  Haigh,  promoted  corporal. 

Judson  W.  Hanson,  promoted  sergeant. 

Holvar  Hanson. 

Joseph  Howard,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Thomas  Ives. 

Gilbert  Ketchum,  served  three  years. 

Elisha  E.  Lloyd,  prisoner,  served  three  years. 

Hamlet  Livens,  served  three  years. 

George  E.  Lounsbury,  promoted  corporal. 

Silas  T.  Marlette. 

Henry  Mullen,  wounded. 

John  Pfensteil,  promoted  corporal. 

Reuben  W.  Perrin,  killed  at  Chickamauga. 

Jacob  Wolf,  killed  at  Chickamauga. 

Carlton  D.  Ward. 

Charles   H.  Scofield,  died  of  wounds   at   Murfreesboro, 

January  28th,  1863. 
Barney  Wheeler,  prisoner,  served  three  years. 
Benjamin  Sayers,  killed  at  Stone  River. 
Walter  S.  Ralston,  served  four  years,  promoted  corporal. 
George  W.  Bean,  served  three  years. 


WAR    RECORD    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY.  323 

Comfort  Brace,  killed  at  Chickamauga,  Sept.   20,  1863. 
Christopher   M.    Baker,    served   four   years,    promoted 

corporal. 
John  Brace,  died  at  Cincinnati,  January  4,  1863. 
Michael  Boomer,  Company  F,  corporal,  killed  at  Stone 

River,  December  30th,  1862. 
Hiram   Lowry,   Company   I,  corporal,  died   of  wounds. 

May  19th,  1864. 

TWENTIETH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  K. 

Otis  W.  Charles,  died  at  Bristol,  June  1st,  1862, 
Jay  Delos  Prinjue,  served  three  years. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  C. 

Jonas  Seeley,  promoted  1st  sergeant. 
James  L.  Clegg,  served  three  years. 
Leonard  0.  Lathrop. 

THIRTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  H. 

Eli  Ellis,  farrier,  promoted  veterinary  surgeon. 
William  Dyer,  corporal,  transferred  to  Company  A. 
Thomas  Sunderland,  transferred  to  Company  A. 
Peter  Berogan,  served  three  years. 
William  Ellis. 

TOWN  OF  KENDALL, 


THIRTEENTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  H. 

William  Erwin,  promoted  corporal. 

Townsend  Seeley. 

Jacob  Fifer,  Company  E,  died  September  28th,  1861. 

TWENTIETH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  K. 

James  Coyle,  served  four  years. 

Marcus  E.  Morton,  died  of  wounds,  April  23d,  1862. 
Gilbert  C.  Morton,   quartermaster  sergeant,   promoted 
brevet-captain. 


324  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

Martin  F.  Bissell. 

George  Mallory,  died  at  Bird's  Point,  Jan.  28th,  1862. 

Oscar  P.  Hobbs,  Company  F,  promoted  corporal. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  E. 

Oscar  S.  Howe,  died  of  wounds  at  Murfreesboro,  Janu- 
ary 30th,  1863. 

George  Merrill,  wounded. 

Henry  Smith,  served  three  years. 

Peter  Johnson. 

Thomas  P.  Titlow,  four  years,  promoted  1st  sergeant. 

Lyman  G.  Bennett,  served  during  war,  transferred  to 
1st  Arkansas  Cavalry,  December  5th,  1863. 

William  Woolenwebber. 

Henry  Coleman,  killed  at  Perryville,  October  8th,  1862. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  I. 

James  F.  Ferris,  sergeant,  four  years. 

Christopher  Thake,  served  four  years,  promoted  sergeant. 

Kimball  Smith,  died  at  Rolla,  Missouri,  December  14th, 

1861. 
John  Cook,  died  at  Rolla,  Missouri  Dec.  14th,  1861. 


TOWN  OF  FOX. 


THIRTEENTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  E. 

Frank  Colegrove. 

Jefferson  J.  Eastman,  died  November  7th,  1862. 

Horace  M.  Ellsworth,  served  four  years. 

John  F.  Iliflf,  served  three  years. 

Martin  V.  B.  Stearns,  promoted  1st  sergeant. 

John  Seeley. 

Irvin  J.  Walker,  prisoner,  served  four  years. 

Benjamin  B.  Courtright,  promoted  sergeant. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  325 

TENTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  H. 

Daniel  R.  Ballou,  1st  sergeant,  promoted  captain, 
rhomas  Corke,  musician. 

Franklin  Colegrove,  re-enlisted  and  discharged  for  dis- 
ability. 

TWENTIETH  INFANTRY  COMPANY  K. 

R,ichard  M.   Springer,  served  four  years,  promoted  ser- 
geant, received  medal  of  honor  at  Vicksburg. 
iVndrew  Wilsey. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  F. 

jreorge  G.  Biddulph,  1st  sergeant,  promoted  adjutant. 
La  Rue   P.    Southworth,    sergeant,    promoted    quarter- 
master, 
jreorge  NeiF,  corporal,  promoted  sergeant. 
Samuel  Brimhall,  musician. 
S^orman  C.  Dean,  musician. 
Fames  R.  Biddulph. 
jreorge  A.  Cummins,  served  three  years. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  D. 

/Vndrew  F.  Wilsey,  served  four  years. 
Edward  Lars,   died  at  Nashville,  of  wounds,  February 
21st,  1865. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  B. 

Eugene  Austin,  promoted  corporal. 

Frank  Cook,  sergeant,  promoted  in  Third  U.  S.  Cavalry. 

Robert  W.   Ackley,   9th  Cavalry,  Company   G,  served 

three  years. 

The  townships  in  which  were  no  recruiting  villages 
have  a  less  number  of  names  than  belong  to  them,  as 
most  of  the  volunteers  were  credited  to  the  town  in  which 
they  enlisted ;  and  it  has  been  impossible  wholly  to  sep- 
arate them. 


326 


HISTORY    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY. 


In  most  of  the  cases  where  a  name  is  given  without  a 
record,  the  one  bearing  it  was  discharged  on  account  of 
disability,  before  the  term  of  enlistment  expired. 


CHAPTER   XLVl. 


AR    RECORD    of   1861— Continued. 


TOWN  OF  BIG  GROVE. 


J^]  TWENTIETH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  K. 

Reuben  F.  Dyer,  captain,  resigned. 
^W.@/^    Perry    W.    Spelman,    sergeant,    pro- 
i^  moted  captain. 

Benjamin  Olin,  1st  lieutenant. 
John  R.  McKean,  2nd  lieutenant,  died  January  23d, 

1862. 
George  Hopgood,  sergeant. 
Thomas  Hopgood. 

James  Crellen,  corporal,  killed  at  Shiloh,  April  6,  '62. 
Thomas  Garner,  corporal. 
James  R.  Barrow^s,  corporal. 
Edward   P.   Atkins,   corporal,    died   at  Newark,  March 

11,  1862 
George  Adams,  corporal. 
Josiah  Wright,  promoted  corporal. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  327 

Stephen  Jennings,  wagoner,  died  at  Mound  City,  Octo- 
ber 15,  1861. 

Benjamin  G.  Adams,  killed  at  Raymond,  Miss.,  May 
12,  1863. 

William  Ashton,  died  at  Cape  Girardeau,  Sept.  2,  1861. 

Forbes  Anderson. 

Andrew  Brown,  served  three  years. 

William  Bennett,  died,  place  and  date  unknown. 

David  L.  Barrows,  killed  at  Raymond,  Miss.,  May  12,  '63. 

Charles  J.  Clayton. 

Franklin  Clifford,  served  four  years. 

William  M.  Crowner,  died  at  Mound  City,  March  10,  '62. 

Francis  Crowell,  served  four  years. 

Sumner  M.  Cook,  died  at  Vicksburg,  July  20,  1863. 

Edwin  Howes,  served  four  years,  promoted  corporal. 

Martial  M.  Havenhill,  transferred  to  Regimental  Band. 

James  Jennings,  served  four  years,  promoted  sergeant. 

Elias  H.  Kilmer,  served  three  years. 

William  J.  Prentice. 

John  Pepoon. 

Longen  Merkey,  served  three  years. 

William  T.  Preston,  promoted  sergeant. 

Luman  C.  Preston,  served  three  years. 

Warren  B.  Rock  wood. 

Ambrose  Wallace. 

Andrew  West. 

Henry  M.  Havenhill,  promoted  corporal. 

Curtis  L.  Wann,  killed  at  Shiloh,  April  6,  1862. 

George  B.  Wilson,  served  four  years. 

Albert  Wilcox,  died  at  St.  Louis,  May  13,  1862. 

Lewis  G.  Bishop. 


328  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  F. 

Porter  C.  Oleson,  captain,  promoted  colonel,  killed  at 
Franklin,  November  30,  1864. 

George  F.  Stonax,  1st  lieutenant. 

John  T.  Johnson,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

Martin  C.  Wilson,  2nd  lieutenant. 

Loren   L.    Oleson,   corporal^  promoted   2nd   lieutenant, 
killed  in  battle. 

George  K.  Wann,  sergeant. 

William  Eyebond,  sergeant,  died  of  wounds.  May  2,  '63. 

William  Browning,  served  three  years. 

Christian  Christianson. 

Aber  Christopherson,  prisoner,  served  three  years. 

William    H.    Eastman,    died   at   Andersonville  prison, 
August  17,  1861,  number  of  grave  5,992. 

Daniel  Warden. 

Thomas  J.  Wilson,  served  three  years. 

Canute  K.  Johnson,  served  three  years. 

Alfred  Melton. 

Lewis  Oleson,  died  of  wounds,  December  26,  1863. 

Canute  Phillips,  served  three  years. 

Richard  Spradling,  killed  at  Stone  River,  Dec.  30,  '63. 

Luther  Haskins,  died  at  Louisville,  October  15,  1863. 

Raynard  Holverson,  died  at  Corinth,  Mississippi,  Sep- 
tember 9th,  1862. 

Ira  M.  Johnson,  served  three  years. 

Ira  Larson,  served  three  years. 

William  Stewart,  corporal,  died  at  Hamburg   Landing, 
June  1st,  1862 

John  Oleson. 

Thomas   Thompson,   died    at  Rienzi,  Mississippi,  July 
8th,  1862. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  329 

Ferris  Johnson,  promoted  sergeant. 

Lars  Larson,  died  at  Cairo,  September  13th,  1862. 

Benjamin  Stevenson,  promoted  corporaL 

Christ.  Lind,  served  three  years. 

Anton  Myer,  died  at  New  Albany,  Indiana  April  21st, 

1863. 
Paul   Stevenson,  killed  at  Pea  Ridge,  March  7th,  1862. 
William  D.  Hibbard. 
John  Thompson,  served  three  years. 
Charles  N.  Ralph,  served  three  years. 
Canute  K.  Johnson,  served  three  years. 
Henry  M.  Seymour,  served  three  years. 
Albert  H.  Wolf,  served  three  years. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  D. 

Andrew  L.  Scofield,  corporal. 

Seth  Darling,  re-enlisted,  died  of  wounds,  June  16, 1864. 

John  C.  Taylor,  corporal,  re-enlisted. 

Ezra  Taylor,  killed  at  Chickamauga. 

George  W.  Raymond,  promoted. 

Garrett  G.  Vreeland,  served  four  years. 

Nelson  Erickson,  promoted  sergeant. 

Edward  Seymour,  prisoner  of  war. 

Henry  T.  Kellom,  musician,  served  four  years. 

Newton  J.  Abbott,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Charles  Seymour,  killed  at  Chaplin  Hills,  Kentucky, 
October  8th,  1862. 

George  W.  Woods,  served  three  years. 

John  Q.  Adams,  Fifty-second  regiment,  promoted  quar- 
termaster. 

Ira  Strong,  Fifty-third  Regiment,  Company  G,  trans- 
ferred to  Company  B. 

22 


330  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY.  COMPANY  C. 

Perley  F.  Freeland,  served  three  years. 
William  P.  Hatch,  served  three  years. 
Gustavus  Rohlwes,  served  three  years. 
John  Kayler,  promoted  corporal. 
Joseph  H.  Angel  regimental  blacksmith. 
Garrett  L.  Collins,  Company  B,  1st  lieutenant,  promoted 
captain. 

EIGHTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  K. 

Darius  Sullivan,  2nd  lieutenant,  promoted  captain. 
Lafayette  Halliday,  served  four  years. 
Joseph  Bushnell,  sergeant,  served  four  years. 
James  H.  Mason. 

FIFTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  I. 

Albert  Collins,  1st  sergeant,  promoted  captain  Com- 
pany F. 

James  S.  Barber,  transferred  to  Company  M,  Tenth 
Cavalry,  served  four  years. 

William  H.  Fox,  paroled  prisoner,  re-enlisted  as  veteran, 
promoted  sergeant. 

Ole  C.  Lan gland,  served  three  years. 

Aaron  Pricket,  paroled  prisoner,  served  four  years, 
transferred  to  Company  M,  Tenth  Cavalry. 


TOWN  OF  LISBON. 


TWENTIETH  INFANTRY.  COMPANY  K. 

John  W.  Boyer,  1st  sergeant,  promoted  captain. 
Nicholas  Hanson,  served  four  years. 
William  R.  Vreeland,  promoted  corporal. 
Jerome  B.  Daun,  served  four  years. 
Samuel  Trentor,  served  three  years. 


WAR    RECORD    OE    KENDALL    COUNTY.  831 

John  Woodruff,  died  of  wounds,  June  1th,  1863. 
Alonzo  P.  White,  served  four  years. 
Nelson  Dayton. 

James  B.  Littlewood,  served  four  years. 
John  H.  Leach,  served  four  years,  promoted  corporal. 
Greenbury  Leach,  re-enlisted,  died  at  Fortress  Monroe, 
April  30th,  1865. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  D. 

William  P.  Pierce,  captain,  promoted  assistant  surgeon. 
George  D.  Parker,  1st  lieutenant,  promoted  captain. 
Edward  P.  Cass,  1st  sergeant,  promoted  captain. 
Isaac  N.  Beebe,  sergeant,  promoted   1st  lieutenant,  and 

offered  captain's  commission,  but  declined. 
John  Van  Pelt,  1st  lieutenant,  promoted  quarter-master. 
Joseph  C.  Thompson,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 
Henry  F.  Birch,  promoted  captain. 
William  DuckAvorth,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 
James  A.  Baker,  promoted  2nd  lieutenant. 
Mercelon  B.    Gaylord,   sergeant,  died  at  Lisbon,  June 

17,  1862. 
Alexander  Stickles,  sergeant,  killed  at  Stone  River. 
Clinton  Lloyd,  corporal,  promoted  sergeant. 
David  Sutherland,  corporal. 
James  M.   Leach,  promoted  sergeant,   died  of  wounds 

while  prisoner  at  Marietta,  Ga.,  June  22,  1864. 
William  P.  Burgess,  musician,  prisoner. 
William  C.  Benedict,  corporal,  killed  at  Stone  River. 
Joseph  Apley,  served  three  years. 
Allen  M.  Alvord,  died  at  Chattanooga,  June  8,  1864. 
Louis  P.  Boyd,  served  three  years. 
Allen  Brown. 


332  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Jacob  M.  Burgess. 

Benjamin  F.  Burgess. 

Joseph  Bushnell,  died  at  Rienzi,  Miss.,  June  16,  1862. 

Charles  H.  Bissell,  served  four  years. 

Rensellaer  Carpenter. 

William  B.  Cady,  served  three  years. 

Clark  W.  Edwards,  died  at  Lisbon,  June  12,  1862. 

Oliver  Edmond,  served  three  years. 

George  Godwin. 

Alfred  H.  Gaylord,  died  of  wounds,  June  24,  1864. 

Willard  W.  Gifford. 

Luther  Gates,  served  three  years. 

Eben  Gates,  served  three  years. 

John  W.  Graham,  transferred  to  First  U.  S.  Engineers. 

James  Hurst,  died  of  wounds  at  Perryville,  November 

30,  1862. 
Joseph  W.  Hinsdale,  promoted  corporal,  killed  at  Ken- 

esaw,  June  27,  1864. 
John  Hyer,  served  four  years,  promoted  corporal. 
Oley  H.  Johnson,  served  three  years. 
Andrew  Johnson. 
Harvey  Kimball,  promoted  corporal,  killed  at  Chicka- 

mauga. 
Charles  G.  Langdon. 
John  Larking,  served  three  years. 
John  Miller,  died  at  Batesville,  Ark.,  May  10,  1862. 
John  Menley. 

Aaron  Mills,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 
Ole  N.  Oleson,  served  three  years. 
John  A.  Page,  served  three  years. 
Aspian  Peterson,  died  at  Nashville,  Dec.  31st,  1862. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  333 

Joseph  A.  Smith,  promoted  corporal,  died  of  wounds  at 

Nashville,  February  2nd,  1863. 
Dana  Sherrill,  served  three  years,  promoted  corporal. 
Thomas  Shaw,  died  of  wounds  at  Perryville,  Kentucky, 

October  28th,  1862. 
Thor  Thorson,  re-enlisted. 
Samuel  Tucker,  served  three  years. 
James  Thorpe,  killed  at  Stone  River. 
Ole  H.  Thompson,  promoted  sergeant. 
John  E.  Williams. 
Thomas  Welch. 
Chester  F.  Wright. 
John  Wilson,  served  four  years. 
Edward  Anderson,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
John  H.  Thompson,  served  three  years. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  G. 

Seth  Slyter,  served  three  years. 

Beriah  Clark. 

David  Boyer,  promoted  sergeant. 

Charles  Peck,  52nd  Regiment,  Company  H. 

FIFTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  I. 

Clark  L.  Ferguson,  commissary  sergeant,  promoted. 
Thomas    Hampson,   served    four  years,   transferred    to 
Company  M,  10th  Cavalry. 


TOWN  OF  LITTLE  ROCK. 


THIRTEENTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  E. 

Benjamin  J.  Gilford,  sergeant,  promoted  2nd  lieutenant. 

James  R.  Near,  corporal. 

John   Burbank,  corporal. 

Thomas  Darnell,  died  of  wounds,  July  1st,  1863. 


334  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

Enoch  Darnell,  served  three  years. 
Judson  Grummon,  served  three  years. 
John  W.  Near,  served  three  years. 
Perry  G.  Tripp,  served  three  years. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  E. 

Charles  D.  Fish,  captain,  resigned. 

George  S.  Bartlett,  1st  sergeant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

Lucian  F.  Hemenway,  sergeant,  promoted  captain. 

William  Hall,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

M.  Stanley  Bushnell,  corporal,  promoted  quarter-master 

sergeant. 
David  G.  Cromwell,  corporal. 

Charles  W.  Doty,  served  four  years,  promoted  corporal. 
Daniel  Whitney,  corporal,  promoted  sergeant. 
Hiram  Wagner,  corporal,  served  three  years. 
Peter  Scryber,  musician,  died  at   Rolla,  Mo.,  December 

21,  1861. 
William  Todd,  musician. 
John  W.  Alston,  served  four  years,  wounded,  promoted 

corporal. 
James  H.  Alston,  promoted  sergeant,  killed  at  Franklin, 

November  30,  1864. 
Eugene  Benoit,  died  of  wounds,  October  14, 1862. 
John  Bush,  re-enlisted. 

Alfred  Ballard,  died  at  Chattanooga,  December  23,  '63. 
William  Burgess,  killed  at  Stone  River. 
Aaron  Darnell,  wounded. 
Daniel  J.  Darnell,  promoted  corporal. 
James  Harral,  wounded  twice. 
William  Hunter,  wounded. 
James  S.  Hatch,  served  four  years,  promoted  sergeant. 


WAR   RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  335 

Sylvester  M.  Jay,  served  three  years. 

James  E.  Moss,  wounded,  promoted  corporal. 

Nicholas  Meehan,  killed  at  Stone  River. 

Edwin    J.    McMullen,    died   at  Cape    Girardeau,   May 

25,  1865. 
Amos  Norton,  served  four  years. 
Melancthon  J.  Ross,  served  four  years. 
Cyrus  Perry,  served  three  years. 
John  Ray,  killed  at  Pea  Ridge,  March  8,  1862. 
Lewis  Schaefer,  served  three  years. 
Joel  Wagner. 

Edward  R.  Zeller,  wounded,  served  three  years. 
William  W.  Zeller,  killed  at  Resaca,  Ga.,  May  12,  1864. 
Uriah  Foster,  served  four  years. 
Amasa  Gage. 
James  Brown,  wounded. 
Augustus  Kasten,  killed  at  Chickamauga. 
James  A.  Lanigan. 

George  W.  Lanigan,  wounded,  re-enlisted  as  Veteran. 
James  Carlin,  transferred  to  First  Missouri  Battery. 
Henry  Hennis,  served  four  years,  promoted  sergeant, 
Henry  J.  Hodge. 

Oscar  Pecoy,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 
Edgar  S.  Case,  served  four  years. 
Stephen  Winans,  served  three  years. 
Frank  Henning,  Company  D. 

Ralph  Miller,  Company  C,  died  of  wounds,  Oct.  16,  '62. 
Alfred  Tomblin,  Company  F,  promoted  corporal,  killed 

at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  November  30,  1864. 

TWENTIETH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  K. 

Alfred    A.    Griswold,    died    at    Berry's    Landing.   La., 
March  30,  1863. 


336  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Nicholas  Hanson,  served  four  years,  promoted  sergeant. 

TENTH   INFANTRY,  COxMPANY  H. 

Samuel  Faxon,  served  four  years,  promoted  sergeant. 
Franklin  Gilbert. 

Washington  Davis,  served  four  years,  promoted  corporal. 
Nicholas  Coster,  served  three  years. 

FIFTY-SECOND  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  H. 

Frederick  A.  Hanover,  promoted  musician,  served   four 

years. 
Charles  H.  Hatch. 
John  Shonts. 

FIFTY-EIGHTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  H. 

L.  B.  Webster. 

A.  S.  Warren. 

THIRTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  H. 

Jerry  K.  Bullock,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

George  Beck,  sergeant. 

Washington  Goodrich,  corporal. 

William  Adams,  served  three  years. 

E.  Edward  Averly. 

Patrick  Sullivan,  served  three  years. 

FIFTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  I. 

James  E.  Kirkpatrick,  paroled  prisoner,  re-enlisted  in 
Company  M,  10th  Cavalry,  promoted  corporal. 

Eugene  D.  Odell,  paroled  prisoner,  re-enlisted  in  Com- 
pany M,  10th  Cavalry,  served  four  years. 

Oliver  C.  Switzer,  prisoner,  served  three  years. 

Albert  Tubbs. 

Harlow  M.  Tuttle. 

Charles  F.  Winans,  died  at  Rolla,  Missouri,  December 
22nd,  1861. 

James  J.  Hume,  saddler,  served  four  years. 


WAR   RECORD    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY.  337 

TOWN   OP   NA-AU-SAY. 


TWENTIETH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  K. 

William  Todd,  served  four  years. 

DeWitt  Wilson,  served  three  years. 

Henry  Mitchell,  killed  at  Raymond,  Mississippi,  May 

12th,  1863. 
William  M.  Smith,  died  at  Paducah,  Kentucky,  August 

23d,  1862. 
Andrew  J.  Wilson,  killed  at  Fort  Donelson,  February 

16th,  1862. 

SEVENTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  C. 

George  Mitchell,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  sergeant,  killed 
at  Shiloh,  Tennessee,  April  7th,  1862. 

Benjamin  J.  Ains worth,  corporal. 

Robert  Mitchell,  served  four  years. 

John  B.  Hubrecht,  promoted  corporal,  killed  at  Alla- 
toona,  Georgia,  October  5th,  1864. 

Marcellus  K.  Snell,  served  four  years. 

John  Heald,  served  four  years. 

Gilman  M.  Stannard. 

Edgar  Campbell,  served  four  years. 

Joseph  Sullivan,  died  at  Mound  City,  Illinois,  Novem- 
ber 7th,  1861. 

Samuel  Clayton,  served  four  years. 

Joseph  Waterman  Bell. 

Samuel  Mitchell,  served  four  years. 

Anthony  Mitchell,  served  three  years. 

William  Mitchell. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  G. 

David  M.  VanDorston,  killed  at  Stone  River,  December 
31st,  1862. 


338  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

James  N.  Baird,  Company  E,  killed  at  Stone  River. 
William  Frieze,  Company  I,  served  three  years. 
Andrew  Elecker,  Company  I. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  C. 

John  p.  VanDorston,  promoted  2d  lieutenant,  Co.  H. 

Hiram  0.  Bingham,  served  three  years. 

Edwin  Reeves,  served  three  years. 

Charles  Bilfield. 

Franklin  Clark. 

Peter  Gannon. 

TOWN  OF  SEWARD. 


THIRTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  D. 

Thomas  Hanup,  served  three  years. 

David  Mellor. 

William   Peck,  died   at   Rienzi,  Mississippi,  June  29th, 

1862. 
Nelson  Peck. 
Thomas  Vernon,  transferred  to  Battery  G,  1st  Missouri 

Artillery. 
Joseph  Phipps,  died  at  Rienzi,  Mississippi,  June   14th, 

1862. 
Joseph  Whitham,  served  three  years. 

SEVENTH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  C. 

Thomas  J.  Sellers. 

FORTY-SIXTH   REGIMENT.  COMPANY  I. 

George  W.  Farnsworth, 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  I. 

'   Joseph  H.  Angel,  promoted  regimental  blacksmith. 
Thomas  J.  Heald,  served  three  years. 


CHAPTER  XLVIl. 


UR  WAR  Record  for  1862. 


TOWN  OF  KENDALL. 


TWENTIETH  INFANTRY  COMPANY  K. 

1'^  William  F.  Reed,  died  of  wounds,  May 
.^   _  ,^        20th,  1863. 

^-p^^^^^ONE  HUNDREDTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  D. 

'^^4       Frederick    R.    Fletcher. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  D. 

Nelson  Leitch,  died. 

EIGHTY-NINTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H. 

John  A.  Beeman,  1st  sergeant,  promoted  captain. 
William   Harkness,    2nd   lieutenant,    promoted   captain 

Company  A,  killed  at  Kenesaw  Mountain,  June  21st, 

1864. 
Alphonso  A.  Covell,  wounded. 
Jonathan  Townsend,  served  three  years. 

Benson  Aldrich,  died  at  Murfreesboro,  May  4,  1863. 

William  H.  Delancy,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Nicholas  R.  Marshall,  promoted  hospital  steward. 

William  V.  Griswold. 

Joseph  Haigh,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Josiah  Collman,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Edward  H.  Hobbs,  promoted  corporal. 


340  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

Oley  H.  Johnson,  died  of  wounds  received  Jan.  28,  '63. 

Edw:ird  E.  Cheever,  promoted  corporal. 

Thomas  C.  Morley. 

Emery  B.  Tyler,  died  at  Nashville,  January  25,   1863. 

William  G.  Ward,  promoted  corporal. 

Edgar  H.  Wood,  killed  at  Pickett's  Mill,  near  Dallas, 
Ga.,  May  27,  1864. 

William  H.  Bissel,  serv.d  to  end  of  war. 

Thomas  T.  Britton. 

Wallace  Brewer. 

Nathan  Brown. 

Benjamin  Haigh,  died  of  wounds  at  Louisville,  Septem- 
ber 2T,  1863. 

James  C.  Heustis. 

Thomas  Huggins,  served  to  end  of  war. 

James  Lyon,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Joseph  N.  Peterson. 

A.  Bennett  Pierce,  served  to  end  of  war. 

George  Sanford. 

Taylor  Stewart. 

Chauncey  B.  Talmadge,  died  of  wounds  in  Anderson- 
ville  Prison,  Ga.,  January  6,  1865. 

John  Buff  ham,  taken  prisoner,  served  to  end  of  war. 

James  D.  Hopkins,  killed  at  Pickett's  Mill,  Ga.,  May 
27,  1864. 

Samuel  E.  Pletcher,  promoted  corporal. 

Henry  Webber,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

Charles  Gaddy. 

Charles  N.  Godard,  wounded  at  Atlanta,  promoted  cor- 
poral. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  341 

George  Goodson. 

Charles  H.  Smith. 

Nehemiah  Tucker,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Orville  P.  Walker,  died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  April  29,  '63. 

Edward  J.  Walker. 

Rice  S.  Baxter,  killed  at  Arkansas  Post,  Jan.  11,  '63. 

Charles  A.  Bishop,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Frank  Winan,  served  to  end  of  war. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT, COMPANY  K. 

John  B.  Moulton,  1st  lieutenant. 

Thomas  W.   Kellett,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

Thomas   J.   Ford,   corporal,   killed  at  Vicksburg,  June 

23d,  1863. 
Hudson  H.  Campbell,  served  to  end  of  war. 
Sylvester  L.  Evans. 
Albert  A.  Griswold. 

Philip  Grace,  wounded  and  prisoner,  promoted  corporal. 
George  Hassel,  prisoner,  served  to  end  of  war. 
Darius  Morrell,  killed   at  Vicksburg,  May  22nd,  1863. 
Henry  Matlock. 

Jacob  A.  Means,  served  to  end  of  war. 
Edson  Needham,  died  at  Pavilion,  March  22nd,  1863. 
Henry  Stiles,  died  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  January  28th,  1868. 
John  M.  Serry. 
John  Williams. 
George  H.  Brenzel,  corporal. 
Charles  M.  Hill,  corporal. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  F. 

Jeremiah  Evarts,  1st  lieutenant. 


342  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

TOWN  OF  OSWEGO. 


FIFTY-THIRD  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  B. 

Francis  Morej,  served  to  end  of  war. 

ONE  HUNDRED  1 WENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

William  L.  Fowler,  captain. 

William  Walker,  1st  lieutenant,  promoted  captain. 

William  S.  Bunn,  2nd  lieutenant,  promoted  captain. 

John  B.  Stoutmeyer,  1st  sergeant,  died  at  Camp  Doug- 
las, October  28tli,  1862. 

John  Boyle,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

George  Brown,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

Amnion  B.    Case,   died  at  Young's   Point,    Louisiana, 
February  28th,  1863. 

William  H.  Failing,  corporal. 

Morris  B.  Lamb,  corporal. 

Benjamin  R.  Van  Doozer,  corporal,    transferred  to  V. 
R.  C. 

John  B.  Roberts,  corporal. 

Reuben  P.  Parkhurst,  musician,  died  at  Young's  Point, 
Louisiana,  May  1st,  1863. 

Robinson  B.  Murphy,  musician. 

Harrison  Ashley. 

Isaac  C.  Bartlett,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

John  P.  Bartlett,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Andrew  Bedard,  died  January  20th,  1863. 

William  N.  Bennett,  died  at  Vicksburg,  August   13th, 
1863. 

George  Booth. 

Matthew  D.  Burns,  furnished  substitute. 

Patrick  Burke. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  343 

Hammond  G.  Carpenter,  died  of  wounds  at  Memphis, 

March  12th,  1863. 
John  Carson,  killed  at  Arkansas  Post,  Jan.  11th,  1863. 
Michael  Carney,  wounded. 
Granby  S.  Case. 

Henry  C.  Dufford,  served  to  end  of  war. 
George  M.  Cowdry,  served  to  end  of  war, 
Joseph  Dano. 

Jerome  Dano,  transferred  to  V.  R.  Corps. 
Samuel  S.  Elliott. 
Mitchell  Fleury. 

John  Hinchman,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
William  A.  Hopkins,  died  at  St.  Louis,  May  13,  1863. 
Oliver  H.  Hopkins,  corporal,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Charles  E.  Hubbard,  promoted  sergeant. 
William  W-  Lawton,  promoted  sergeant  major. 
Alvah  M.  McClain,  promoted  sergeant,  died  at  Camp 

Sherman,  September  14th,  1863. 
Alfred  X.  Murdock,  killed  at  Atlanta,  July  28th,  1864. 
Wright  Murphy. 

Edward  Palmer,  promoted  corporal. 
Calvin  Pearce,  served  to  end  of  war. 
Thomas  Pollard,    died   in    Andersonville  prison,   June 

12th,  1864  ;  number  of  grave,  1,862. 
William  Pooley,  killed  at  Atlanta,  Georgia. 
William  Puff,  joined  1st  U.  S.  Cavalry. 
Charles  E.  Rosenbury. 
Samuel  Solfisberg,  served  to  end  of  war. 
Rudolph  Solfisberg. 

Dow  Shibley,  promoted  sergeant  in  Company  G. . 
Joseph  Sherman. 


344  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY. 

Luther  H.  Smith. 

Earl  Sutherland,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Edward  J.  Walker. 

Marshall  S.  Wormley,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Daniel  B.  F.  Wormley,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Azariah  Nellis,  sergeant. 

Marshall  C.  Richards,  corporal,  promoted  sergeant. 

William  P.  Danford,  corporal,  transferred  to   Company 

K,  wounded. 
Amos  Holt,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Samuel  C.  McConnell,  died  at  Camp  Sherman,  August 

11,  1863. 
Christian  Herron,  served  to  end  of  war. 
Christian  Henney,  wounded. 
Robinson  A.  Barr,  served  to  end  of  war. 
Paul  Cross. 

Wallace  Edson,  wounded. 
Joseph   S.   Kenyon,   died  at  Young's  Point,  La.,  May 

29,  1863. 
Andrew  Schwab,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
John  Coleman,  served  to  end  of  war. 
Frederick  Stall. 

Alonzo  Andrews,  served  to  end  of  war. 
George  Weit,  prisoner,  served  to  end  of  war. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  F. 

Joseph  E.  Smith,  musician,  died  at  Oswego,  June  16,  '63. 
John  Pooley,  died  at  Memphis,  March  18,  1863. 
George  A.  Tucker. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Wells  Brown. 

SIXTY-NINTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

George  R.  Potter,  three  months. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  345 

EIGHTY-NINTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H. 

William  N.  Groonis,  sergeant. 

Commodore  P.  Sage,  died  at  Nashville,  January  25,  '63. 

TOWN    OF   LISBON. 


SIXTY-NINTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  I-THREE  MONTHS. 

John  E.  Williams,  sergeant. 

Isaac  Sergeant,  corporal. 

James  A.  Codner,  died  September  3,  1862. 

William  Johnson. 

John  Johnson. 

Ebenezer  B.  Northrup. 

Samuel  L.  Thompson. 

NINETY-FIRST  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  E. 

Thomas  B.  Hanna,  captain. 

Edwin  Brown,  1st  lieutenant,  promoted  captain. 

John  Q.  A.  Ryder,  2nd  lieutenant,  promoted  1st  lieut. 

John  D.  Wait,  1st  sergeant,  promoted  2nd  lieutenant. 

William  Grant,  sergeant,  promoted  adjutant. 

Peter  Grant,  corporal,  promoted  commissary  sergeant. 

Frank  H.  Jordan,  sergeant,  promoted  captain. 

James  Parker,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

David  N.  Brown. 

Harrison  Cook,  served  to  end  of  war. 

John  E.  Holford,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Oscar  Johnson,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Robert  A.  McFarland,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Silas  Carner,  corporal,  promoted  sergeant. 

Kolben  Oleson,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Robert  Reed,  corporal,  died  at  Vicksburg,  July  17,  '63. 

Frank  R.  Schneider,  served  to  end  of  war. 


■5 

23 


346  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL  COUNTY. 

John  Hovey,  transferred  to  28th   Illinois,  Company   D. 

Ephriam  Lounsberry,  promoted  corporal. 

Harrison  H.  Lloyd,  corporal. 

Andrew  G.  Egness,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Aaron  Anfenson,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Joseph  A.  Boyd,  served  to  end  of  war. 

John  P.  Swallow,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Thomas  Weeks,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Weer  Weeks,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Erastus  D.  Andrews,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Reuben  A.  Burgess,  promoted  sergeant. 

Lars  J.  Boyd. 

Joseph  Hargrave. 

Grin  Hawkins,  transferred  to  Mississippi  Marine  Brigade. 

David  Hass,  promoted  corporaL 

Andrew  Johnson,  died  at  Cairo,  July  17th,  1863. 

Nels  Nelson,  promoted  sergeant. 

John  Thorson. 

John  G.  Thorson,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Isaac  Teachout. 

Anfen  Anfenson,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Lars  Christopherson,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Anthony  Devit,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Albert  Ellis,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Anfen  Ensland,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Gley  G.  Hegland,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Sure  G.  Hegland,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Henry  Johnson,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Joseph  Johnson,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Matthias  Kendall,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Henry  L.  Sanders,  served  to  end  of  war. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  347 

John  Seymour,  served  to  end  of  war. 

John  0.  Severed,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Thor  S.  Thorson. 

Oscar  Thompson,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Oley  Thompson,  served  to  end  of  war. 

William  Taylor,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Elliott  Burton. 

John  K.  Cook,  promoted  corporal. 

Phineas  Davis. 

Knud  K.  Ganstow,  killed  at  Spanish  Fort,  Alabama, 
March  29th,  1865. 

Henry  Georgeson,  died  at  New  Orleans,  September  22nd, 
1864. 

Thor  Georgeson,  died  at  Mcintosh  Bluff,  Alabama,  May 
9th,  1865. 

Thor  Henrickson,  promoted  corporal. 

Edwin  C.  Imsland. 

George  Larson,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

William  T.  Linn. 

James  T.  Maxwell,  promoted  corporal. 

Albert  B.  Moore,  promoted  sergeant. 

Erick  J.  Peterson. 

John  H.  Weeks,  died  at  Shepherd ville,  Kentucky,  No- 
vember 6th,  1862. 

Oliver  G.  Wilder. 

EIGHTY-NINTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H. 

Herman  Breese,  corporal,  died  at  Louisville,  January 
31st,  1862. 

AVilliam  H.  Litsey,  corporal,  killed  at  Stone  River,  De- 
cember 31st,  1862. 

Thomas  Holmes,  died  at  Murfreesboro',  March  16th, 
1863. 


348  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Charles  Litsey,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Morgan  A.  Skinner,  served  to  end  of  war. 

John  Ball  Smith,  died  at  Annapolis,  Maryland,  March 

1st,  1863. 
Erwin  M.  Booth,  died  at  Lebanon,   Kentucky,  October 

27th,  1863. 
Albert  H.  Cooper,  prisoner,  served  to  end  of  war. 
James  B.  David. 

Edward  Hargraves,  promoted  corporal. 
Albert  B.  Piatt,  promoted  corporal. 
Joseph  Buckley. 
William  J.  Cooper,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-FOURTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H. 

Daniel  Harris,  served  during  war. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

Lancaster  Comstock,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

FIFTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPA^TY  L. 

Thomas  Osman,  died  in  hospital  at  Chicago. 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL 


ONTINUATION  of  our  War  Record  for 
the  year  1862. 

TOWN  OF  BIG  GROVE. 


NINETY-FIRST  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  E. 

Flavius  J.  Sleezer,  killed  at  Elizabethtown, 
Kentucky,  December  27tli,  1862. 

William  H.  Richmond,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Wright  Adams,  corporal,  promoted  1st  sergeant,  com- 
missioned 2d  lieutenant. 

Curtis  Lord,  corporal. 

George  E.  Bogardus. 

Abram  Van  Riper,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Stephen  L.  Scofield,  died  at  Yicksburg,  September  3d, 
1863. 

Miner  Scofield,  sergeant. 

Henry  Mott,  died. 

John  H.  Richmond. 

John  Van  Buskirk,  died  at  Chicago,  September  10th, 
1863. 

Dallas  Farrington. 

Eben  L.  Hills,  corporal. 

Andrew  Nelson,  served  to  end  of  war. 

John  Sutton,  served  to  end  of  war. 


350  HrSTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

Benjamin   Heckerson,  transferred  to   Company  F,  28th 

Illinois,  and  served  four  years. 
William     Thumb,    killed    at    Spanish    Fort,    Alabama, 

March  20th,  1865. 
John  H.  Naden,  served  to  end  of  war. 
Fred.  E.  Thompson,  corporal. 
Lars  Larson,  served  to  end  of  war. 
John  Underbill,  served  to  end  of  war. 
Frank  W.  Barber,  promoted  corporal. 
Dewitt  Convis. 

Clement  Redfield,  died  at  Lisbon,  December  7th,  1863. 
Tors  W.  Thompson,  died  at  Brownsville,  Texas,  January 

15th,  1864. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FOURTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  G. 

Selim  White,  1st  sergeant,  promoted  captain. 

Cornelius  C.  Courtright,  promoted  corporal. 

John  Cox,  died  at  Frankfort,  Ky.,  October  28,  1862. 

Oliver  Harris. 

Julius  A.  Freeman,  first  assistant  surgeon. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  B. 

Charles  G.  Collins,  promoted  commissary  sergeant,  com- 
pany E. 

TOWN    OF   BRISTOL. 


EIGHTY-NINTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H. 

Henry  S.  Willett,  captain,  killed  at  Stone  River,  Decem- 
ber 31,  1862. 

Franklin  M.  Hobbs,  1st  lieutenant,  promoted  captain. 

Almnrion  Swarthout,  sergeant. 

George  S.  Robinson,  sergeant,  died  at  Lebanon,  Ky., 
November  4th,  1862. 


WAR   RECORD    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY.  351 

Darwin  J.  Maynard,  corporal,  transferred  to  the  marine 
service. 

Isaac  K.  Young,  corporal,  promoted  sergeant. 

John  C.  Sherwin,  corporal,  promoted  sergeant. 

Solon  S.  Boomer,  in  several  rebel  prisons,  promoted 
corporal. 

James  Collie,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Isaac  T.  Chittenden,  killed  at  Pickett's  Mill,  near  Dal- 
las, Ga.,  May  27,  1864. 

Thomas  Daly,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Myron  E.  Scovill,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Albert  Eastman. 

Richard  Field,  killed  at  Pickett's  Mill,  Ga. 

Fred  W.  Godard. 

James  W.  Keeler,  promoted  principal  musician. 

Silas  S.  Page. 

Reuben  W.  Willett,  promoted  sergeant. 

Edward  L.  Kern,  corporal. 

Edward  Drewing. 

Orton  A.  Barnes,  transferred  to  Y.  R.  C. 

Benjamin  Bartholomew,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Willett  C.  Gillman,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Isaac  N.  Merritt,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Thomas  N.  Morley,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Isaac  F.  Pierson,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Nimrod  Young,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Alfred  C.  Dixon,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

James  F.  Howard,  died  in  rebel  prison  at  Raleigh,  N.  C, 
February  26,  1864. 

Alexander  Patterson,  promoted  corporal. 

Amos  N.  Rose. 


352  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

James  Snowball. 

Amos  D.  Curran,  corporal,  wounded,  promoted  sergeant. 

Aaron  M.  Boomer,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

Arnold  Rickard. 

THIRTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  H.- 

James  Green. 
Henry  Segram. 


TOWN    OF   FOX. 


EIGHTY-NINTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H. 

Hawley  F.  Chappel,  transferred  to  V.  R.  Corps. 
Henry  Huggins,  killed  at  Stone  River,  Dec.  31,  1862. 

ONE  HUNDRED  FOURTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  G. 

Johnson  Misner,  captain,  resigned. 

John  H.  Misner,  served  to  end  of  war. 

George  H.  Marlett,  sergeant,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Jeptha  H.  Misner. 

Wesley  Misner,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  sergeant. 

James  C.  Carnes,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Marshall  Bagwell,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Tunis  S.  Serrine,  wounded. 

ONE  HUNDRED  FIFTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H. 

James  Corke,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Jesse  Corke. 

Hiirvey  Potter,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

Isaac  Scoggin,  corporal,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 

George  Nichols,  served  to  end  of  war. 

Eldredge  Skinner,  wounded,  promoted  corporal. 

Thomas  Springer,  promoted  corporal. 

TWENTIETH  INFANTRY,  COMPANY  K. 

James  Springer,  served  to  end  of  war. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  353 

Joseph  Springer,  died  at  Lake  Providence,  March  18th, 
1863. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  F. 

Martin  G.  Finch,  served  during  war. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

George  Sherman,  sergeant. 

Clark  Hollenback,  corporal,  wounded,  served  during  war. 

Chester  Ackley. 

Augustus  Beebe,  served  during  war. 

George  F.  Needham,  served  during  war. 

Henry  Beebe,  served  during  war. 

John  Fay,  served  during  war. 

William  Carnes,  died  at  Nashville,  April  10th,  1865. 

Henry  H.  Clark,  died  August  31st,  1863. 

Amos  Ellsworth. 

Charles  Smith,  prisoner,  served  during  war. 

William  Haymond,  prisoner,  served  during  war. 

Joseph  C.  Kuhlum,  promoted  sergeant,  died  at  Camp 
Sherman,  Mississippi,  September  23d,  1863. 

George  Long,  wounded,  served  during  war. 

Albert  Smith,  wounded,  served  during  war. 

Charles  W.  Pindar,  died  at  Paducah,  Kentucky,  Decem- 
ber 5th,  1863. 

William  Smith. 

John  Smith,  died  September  6th,  1863. 

David  Springer,  died  at  Walnut  Hills,  Mississippi,  June 
25th,  1863. 

Enoch  Springer,  died  at  Young's  Point,  Louisiana, 
March  7th,  1863. 


354  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

TOWN    OF    LITTLE    ROCK. 


ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  F. 

Alfred  Darnell,  2nd  lieutenant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 
Amasa  E.  Steward,  1st  sergeant,  promoted  2nd  lieut. 
William  Darnell,  sergeant. 
Joseph  A.  C.  Rowan,  sergeant. 
Henry  C.  Smith,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  sergeant. 
James  M.  Mead,  corporal,  promoted  principal  musician. 
Charles  Adams  Westgate,  corporal. 
Christopher  Beck,  corporal. 
James  S.  Schermerhorn,  promoted  sergeant. 
Edward  C.  Westover,  musician,  died  at  Aurora,  Febru- 
ary 7th,  1863. 
Wallace  Bartlett. 

John  M.  Bemis,  promoted  musician. 
Vashni  M.  Potter. 
William  H.  Brundage. 
Charles  Butler. 
August  Brinkman. 
Alonzo  Baker. 

William  H.  Bush,  served  during  the  war. 
Morgan  Butler,  served  during  the  war. 
Norman  Ellis,  served  during  the  war. 
Edward  Hall,  served  during  the  war. 
E.  H.  Ives,  served  during  the  war. 
James  Landers,  served  during  the  war. 
Simeon  Ovitt,  served  during  the  war. 
John  Rowley,  served  during  the  war. 
William  W.  Russell,  served  during  the  war. 
Judson  Smith,  served  during  the  war. 


WAR   RECORD    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY.  355 

Rodney  D.  Faxon,  died  at  Camp  Sherman,  Mississippi, 

August  30,  1863. 
Benjamin  K.  Favor,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
David  Scott,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
John  F.  Steward,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Edward  A.  Welch,  transferred  to  Y.  R.  C. 
Joseph  H.  Cox,  prisoner,  promoted  corporal. 
George  Russell. 
Edward  Clark. 
George  B.  Lasure. 
William  Coats. 
Charles  Lasure. 

John  H.  Cox,  died  in  Little  Rock,  November  25,  1864. 
John  G.  Cromwell,  died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  March  22, 

1863. 
Delos  Eldredge. 

Charles  Evans,  promoted  corporal. 

Ichabod  Gurney,  died  in  Little  Rock,  February  5,  1864. 
Elijah  L.  Hardin,  promoted  sergeant. 
Dwight  Hawks,  died  at  Camp  Sherman,  August  29,  '64. 
Wilber  F.  Hawks. 
Joseph  Harmon. 

James  Kinnard,  died  at  Memphis,  April  16,  1863. 
Henry  Lye,  died  at  St.  Louis,  July  5,  1863. 
James  H.  Mighell,  died  at   Milliken's  Bend,  March   5, 

1863. 
George  Montague,  promoted  corporal. 
John  Pritchard. 
San  ford  Razey. 

Hollister  M.  Rockwell,  died  at  Memphis,  July   17,  '63. 
Thomas  M.  Roberts,  promoted  corporal. 


356  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Charles  Smith. 

William  F.  Smith,  promoted  corporal. 

William  R.  Smith. 

Henry  Stone,  died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  March  28,  1868. 

Cornelius  Vanote. 

Aaron  H.  Velie,  promoted  corporal. 

Joel  Zeller. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Abram  Heavener,  sergeant,  promoted  1st  lieutenant. 
Second  Mississippi  Colored  Troops. 

Benjamin  F.  Bale,  sergeant,  wounded,  served  during  the 
war. 

James  M.  Hiddleson,  corporal,  prisoner,  promoted  1st 
sergeant. 

John  S.  Howard,  died  in  Andersonville  Prison,  Novem- 
ber 3,  1864  ;  number  of  grave,  11,782. 

William  C.  Hiddleson,  wounded,  promoted  sergeant. 

William  Apple. 

Yoss  Apple,  wounded. 

William  Bishop,  prisoner,  promoted  corporal. 

Edward  D.  Blanchard,  died  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mis- 
souri, May  7th,  1863. 

Royal  Butler,  died  on  steamer  "  City  of  Memphis,"  Au- 
gust 29th,  1868. 

Lewis  Haddon,  prisoner,  served  during  the  war. 

John  Hargan. 

Robert  Heavener. 

Edwin  Hoyt,  promoted  musician. 

Jerome  Kendall. 

George  F.  Kilts. 

John  W.  Kilts. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  357 

William  Kloft. 

John  Pettit,  served  during  war. 

Leander  Pettit,  died  of  wounds,  at  Memphis,  July  31st, 
1863. 

Eugene  Regan,  promoted  sergeant. 

Thomas  Sargent,  died  at  Larkinsville,  Alabama,  Febru- 
ary 29th,  1864. 

Daniel  Sullivan,  killed  at  Vicksburg,  May  19th,  1863. 

William  White,  died  at  Young's  Point,  Feb.  11th,  1863. 

SIXTY-FIFTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Alonzo  Vorris. 

THIRTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  H. 

Myron  Bennett. 

SIXTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  H. 

Alexander  G.  West,  served  during  war. 


TOWN  OF  NA-AU-SAY. 


ONE  HUNDREDTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  D. 

Charles  Johnson. 

EIGHTY-NINTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H. 

Nels  Christenson,  wounded. 
Horace  N.  Moon,  served  during  war. 

HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

Alexis  E.  Gould,  wounded. 

John  Beane,  died  at  Memphis,  November  10th,  1863. 


TOWN  OF  SEWARD. 


ONE  HUNDREDTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  D. 

Joseph  Piatt,  died  at  Nashville,  May  1st,  1863. 
James  Piatt,  prisoner,  served  during  war. 


358  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

EIIGHTY-NINTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H. 

Frank  Estergreen,  died  of  wounds,  July  3d,  1864. 
Ralph  Heap. 

William  Hughes,  served  during  war. 
Francis  J.  Pomeroy,  served  during  war. 
Harmon  Pomeroy,  served  during  war. 
William  Piatt. 

Samuel  J.  Odell,  served  during  war. 
George  E.  Phipps,  killed  at  Mission  Ridge,  November 
25th,  1868. 

NINETY-FIRST  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  D. 

John  Phipps,  served  during  war. 

HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

Ambrose  A.  English. 

Leonard  L.   Gaskill,  died  at  Young's  Point,  Louisiana, 

February  22nd,  1863. 
Howard  Dirst. 

Thomas  F.  O'Brien,  wounded. 
John  F.  Simmons,  served  during  war. 
John  Somerville,  died  in  VanBuren  hospital,  Mississippi, 

August  20th,  1863. 


CHAPTER  XLIX, 


11  AR   RECORD   for  1863-65.-1863. 


TOWN  OF  OSWEGO. 


EIGHTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  K. 

Orsamus  Beebe. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  C. 

Martin  Williams. 

Michael  McGuin. 
Samuel  H.  Walker,  promoted  sergeant. 
Edward  English,  promoted  1st  sergeant. 
George  M.  Lane,  promoted  corporal. 
John  Lane,  promoted  sergeant. 


TOWN    OF   BIG   GROVE. 


EIGHTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  K. 

Revellon  H.  Tremaine. 

EIGHTY-NINTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  E. 

John    Brown,  transferred   to  59th  Regiment,  Company 
G,  and  served  to  end  of  war. 

TWENTIETH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Luman  C.  Preston,  served  to  end  of  war. 


TOWN    OF    BRISTOL. 


THIRTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

William  G.  Peterson. 


360  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

TOWN    OF   BIG    GROVE — 1864. 


TWENTIETH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Charles  Hall. 

Walter  Mott. 

George  M.  Sleezer,  died  November  13th,  1864. 

Fayette  Scofield,  served  to  end  of  war. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  F. 

Marshall  W.  Tremain. 

ONE  HUNDRED  THIRTY-SECOND  REGIMENT,  CO.  C— loo  days. 

Frank  Partridge. 

ONE  HUNDRED  FORTY-FIRST  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  F-ioo  DAYS. 

Eliphalet  Barber,  captain. 

Nelson  L.  Sweetland,  2nd  lieutenant. 

Myron  J.  Benson,  promoted  corporal. 

Michael  Donahue,  promoted  corporal. 

William  Hargrave, 

Edwin  Havenhill. 

Samuel  Hannan,  promoted  corporal. 

Albert  M.  Sweetland,  promoted  sergeant. 

Samuel  S.  Wright. 

Jacob  B.  Huse,  promoted  corporal. 

James  B.  Tremain, 

George  C.  Van  Osdell,  promoted  corporal. 

William  H.  Badgley. 

Alfred  Mallory. 

Charles  Tichnor. 

Melvin  C.  Brainard,  promoted  corporal. 

Samuel  Barber,  promoted  corporal. 

William  H.  Vader. 

William  Spencer. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  361 

Stone  Ingermunson. 
George  Haskins. 

ONE  HUNDRED  FORTY-SIXTH   REGIMENT,  COMPANY  D- One  year. 

Charles  Chapin,  promoted  1st  sergeant. 

Alfred  L.  Browne. 
.Samuel  N.  Cady. 

William  H.  Fritts. 

Azariah  Hull. 

Benj.  F.  Morsman. 

William  H.  Morsman. 

Sylvester  B.  Norton. 

Narcissus  Bemlard. 

James  By  an. 

Oscar  N.  Storey. 

John  A.  Merrill,  corporal,  promoted  2nd  lieutenant 
47th  Illinois,  died  of  small  pox  at  Cahawba,  Alaba- 
ma, November  25th,  1865. 

Horace  P.  Courtright. 

Zenas  Hodges. 

Horace  T.  Hoyt. 

Henry  E.  Bussell. 

EIGHTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  K. 

George  H.  Burrell. 

TOWN  OF   FOX. 


TENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H. 

Loren  Corke. 

TWENTIETH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Walter  0.  Landon,  died  at  Camp  Butler. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  F. 

William  W.  Watters,  promoted  principal  musician. 

34 


362  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

ONE   HUNDRED   FORTY-FIRST    REGIMENT,  COMPANY  F— loo  days. 

Jeptha  H.  Misner. 

Franklin  E.  Tubbs. 

James  H.  Delamatter,  musician. 

John  McMath,  musician. 

ONE  HUNDRED  FORTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  D— One  year. 

Elijah  Gibbons,  corporal. 
Lemuel  C.  Thorn,  corporal. 
Henry  Stickney. 
Isaac  Gruver. 
Wesley  Hollenback. 
Randolph  W.  Rarick. 

EIGHTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  K. 

James  H.  Watters. 

FIFTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  I. 

Silas  S.  Austin. 
David  B.  Clark. 
Willett  G.  Young. 
James  Tripp. 
Edmund  H.  Young. 

Nahum    Robin:  on,   died  at   Mound  City,  Illinois,  April 
13th,  1865. 

SECOND  ARTILLERY,  BATTERY  I. 

Theodore  Limberg,  died  November  26th,  1864. 


TOWN  OF  KENDALL. 


THIRTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  E. 

Michael  Devine,  died  of  wounds,  at  Nashville,  December 

1st,  lf^64. 
Willis  Olmstead,  musician. 
George  McHugh. 
Joseph  .Ten  kin  son. 
Edwin  E.  Dver.  * 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  363 

James  C.  Stokes. 
Henry  Webber. 
Ilenrj  Mehlke. 

FIFTY-THIRD  REGIMENT.  COMPANY  A. 

Thomas  O'Leary. 

FIFTY-THIRD  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

William  Allen. 
Pat.  J.  McArthur. 

HUNDRED  THIRTY-SECOND  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  C— loo  days. 

Atwood  Morley. 
Merritt  Covell. 
John  O'Reilly. 

FIFTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  I. 

Christopher  Collman. 
Washington  Needham. 

SIXTEENTH  CAVALRY.  COMPANY  G. 

Conrad  Bergman. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  D 

Hiram  Thomas, 

TOWN  OF  BRISTOL. 


THIRTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT.  COMPANY  D. 

William  P.  Boyd. 
John  P.  Clegg. 
William  Manton. 

William  G.  Peterson,  transferred  to  V.  B.  C. 
Ross  Seeley. 

Myron  C.  Skinner,  wounded. 

Ira  M.   Scofield,   died  at  Shelbvville,  Tennesse,    April 
7th,  1864. 

HUNDRED  THIRTY-SECOND  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  C-ioo  days. 

L.  E.  Johnson,  sergeant. 

Levi  Dunbar. 

Lester  C.  Hunt,  sergeant. 


364  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Otto  Grooch. 
John  Byrne,  corporal. 
Frank  Mase. 
William  Owen. 
Cyril  Dussell. 
Henry  Smith. 
H.  A.  Cook. 
Henry  Dolph. 
John  Eccles 
Nicholas  Hanni. 

FIFTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  I. 

William  Venande. 
Charles  A.  Jordan. 
James  Green. 
Emmett  S.  Arnold. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  C. 

James  Snowball,  promoted  sergeant. 


TOWN    OF    OSWEGO. 


FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  C. 

Samuel  Buell,  promoted  sergeant. 

Charles  E.  Fox,  died  at  Naperville,  August  l(3th,  1865. 

Benjamin  F.  Carnes. 

Patrick  Devany. 

Joseph  M.  Hinchman. 

Lovell  S.  Hastings,  died. 

Brien  Ruddy. 

James  Ruen. 

Stephen  H.  Woodworth,  promoted  corporal. 

George  W.  Wormley,  wagoner. 

Edgar  Zimmerman,  blacksmith. 

Charles  Gray. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  365 

Charles  Riley. 

John  B.  Sage,  promoted  corporal. 
William  E.  Darby. 

Willi-^m  H.  Marion,  died  of  wounds  at  Natchez,  Missis- 
sippi, July  22nd,  1864. 
William  Rowan,  saddler,  promoted  sergeant. 
Norman  J.  Ladieu. 
Samuel  Smith. 

Henry  A.  Brokaw,  died  at  Natchez,  August  18th,  1864. 
John  S.  Starkweather,  promoted  corporal. 
Franklin  W.  Clark. 
Finley  Pool,  promoted  corporal. 

EIGHTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  K. 

Henry  W.  Hubbard. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  I.      ' 

Jared  E.  Thomas,  promoted  corporal. 

FIFTY-THIRD  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Robert  Day. 
Lewis  Williams. 

ONE  HUNDRED  THIRTY-SECOND  REGIMENT, COMPANY  C—ioo  days. 

William  Elliott. 

Rush  J.  Walker. 

Frank  Dano. 

Joseph  Beltram. 

Samuel  Roberts. 

James  B.  Lockwood,  corporal. 

Henry  Minard. 

Moses  Cherry,  corporal. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

Thomas  W.  Mullenix. 
Wilson  Briggs. 
Joseph  Dome. 

ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Wells  Brown. 


366  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

TOWN  OF  SEWARD. 


HUNDRED  THIRTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H— loo  days. 

John  W.  Vanzant,  corporal. 

Charles  Coop. 

James  A.  Hutter,'died  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  August  20, 
1864. 

TWENTIETH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

Marion  Ashton. 
Henry  Shures. 
Peter  StaufFer. 

HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

Joseph  Fleury. 

'  EIGHTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  I. 

David  McCargar. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  D. 

Charles  &►.  Wright. 

SECOND  ARTILLERY,  BATTERY  I. 

Corydon  E.  Rogers. 

TOWN  OF  LISBON. 


NINETY-FIRST  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  E. 

Benjamin  Reeves. 

TWENTIETH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

Joseph  Piard. 

HUNDRED  THIRTY-SECOND  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  C— loo  days. 

Thomas  Thompson. 

HUNDRED  THIRTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  H— loo  days. 

Jacob  M.  Burgess,  sergeant. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  D. 

Sanuiel  Trenton. 

TOWN  OF  NA-AU-SAY. 


FIFTY-THIRD  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Charles  Cooney. 
Charles  Grant. 


WAR    RECORD    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY.  367 

TWENTIETH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

Isaac  Riley. 

HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

George  Oscar  Briggs. 
John  Burke. 
John  Blake. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  D. 

Allen  E.  Kingsley. 

SECOND  ARTILLERY,  BATTERY  I. 

Obadiah  Jackson. 

TOWN    OF  LITTLE  ROCK. 


HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  M. 

Gilbert  K.  Beck. 
James  Beck. 
Julius  Thompson. 

FIFTEENTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  I. 

Levi  H.  Woodford,  died  at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  April 

1st,  1865. 
Henry  Hart, 

HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Enos  S.   Ovitt,  transferred  to   Company  B,  55th  Regi- 
ment. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  E. 

Ethan  Keck,  promoted  sergeant. 


TOWN    OF    KENDALL — 1865. 


TWENTIETH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Theodore   Austin,  died   at  Parkersville,  Virginia,   June 

17th,  1865. 
Thomas  Collman. 
Thomas  Smith. 
Thomas  Barman. 

ONE    HUNDRED    FIFTY-SIXTH   REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A— One  year. 

Reuben  B.  Johnson,  2nd  lieutenant,  promoted  1st  lieut. 


368  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL  COUNTY. 

John  Byrne,  corporal,  promoted  quartermaster  sergeant. 

William  Dyer,  sergeant. 

Henry  Chappel. 

Alvin  H.  Eastman. 

William  Edwards. 

Nicholas  Hanni. 

Frank  Howard. 

Horatio  Nichols. 

John  Roberts. 

John  Riley. 

Joseph  San  ford. 

NINTH  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  A. 

Henry  Adamson. 
Job  M.  Tobias. 

TOWN   OF   FOX. 


FORTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Austin  Willett,  died  at  Demopolis,  Ala.,  July  26,  1865. 
Robert  M.  Todd. 
Stephen  Pratz. 
James  Campbell. 
Tobias  Moats. 

TOWN    OF   BIG   GROVE. 


TWENTIETH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

Thomas  Erwin. 

ONE   HUNDRED  FORTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COM'Y  A— One  year. 

Byron  W.  Barnard,  quartermaster  sergeant. 

ONE  HUNDRED  FORTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  C. 

Judson  0.  Moore,  commissary  sergeant. 


TOWN    OF    LISBON. 


TWENTIETH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A. 

John  Schneider. 


WAR   RECORD    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY.  369 

NINETY-FIRST  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  D. 

James  Davis. 
William  H.  Hubbard. 
Joel  Parkhurst. 
William  Shaw. 

NINETY-FIRST  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

Abraham  Thompson. 

TOWN    OF   BRISTOL. 


THIRTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  K. 

James  B.  Lowry. 
George  Lowry. 

TWENTY-THIRD  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  I. 

Nathaniel  A.  Lowry. 

TOWN    OF   NA-AU-SAT. 


ONE  HUNDRED  FIFTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  A— One  year, 

George  K.  Olt,  sergeant. 

THIRD  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  A. 

James  T.  Jarvis. 

Capt.  Bullock's  new  company  (One  Hundred  Twenty- 
third   Regiment,    Company  I),  was  the  last  one  formed 
here.     Following  are  the  names  of  those  who  went  from 
this  county — most  of  them  from  Little  Rock.     Organ- 
ized in  March,  1865. 
Jerry  K.  Bullock,  captain. 
Guy  C.  Clark,  1st  lieutenant. 
William  H.  Black,  corporal. 
William  Lasure,  corporal. 
John  Guy  Vasser,  corporal. 
James  W.  Edinbourne,  corporal. 
William  Bradley,  musician. 
Ira  Smith,  musician. 


370 


HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 


Elam  B.  Black. 
Ralph  W.  Black. 
Joseph  Boyle. 
Luke  H.  Blackmer. 
Mengo  Bennett. 
Charles  Clark. 
Ira  Darling. 
George  R.  Davenport. 
Nathan  Darling. 
Charles  Doty. 
Alexis  Griffin, 
Thomas  Hunter. 
Erastus  Kilburn. 


Frank  Lord. 
Gilbert  Lasure. 
John  McNiff. 
George  McMahon. 
David  Powell. 
David  Powell,  Jr. 
Samuel  Schutt. 
David  Stahle. 
Charles  Tripp. 
Frank  Willey. 
James  Hillard. 
Edward  Kelley. 
John  C.  Staley. 


CHAPTER    L. 


ACCIDENTS  AND  IMPROVEMENTS. 

N  Kendall  County  we  have  two  tanneries. 
The  Yorkville  tannery,  now  owned  by  Wel- 
lington Mason,  is  the  oldest,  and  does  a 
uood  business.  The  Piano  tannery  was 
Iniilt  by  Mr.  Gardner,  of  Yorkville,  in 
1864,  where  the  present  one  was  built  by 
Lewis  Steward.  B.  F.  Jacobs  became  the 
superintendent  in  1868.  It  contains  forty 
vats,  consumes  six  liundred  tons  of  tan  bark,  dresses 
three  thousand  hides  a  year,  and  has  capacity  for  much 
more.      The  object  in  tanning  is  to  unite  the  tannic  acid 


PROCESS    OF    TANNING.  371 

in  bark  with  the  gelatine  of  the  hide,  thus  making  firm 
leather.  The  process  of  tanning  a  hide  is,  briefly  :  First, 
put  to  soak  in  water  ;  second,  flesh  it ;  third,  put  in  lime 
water;  fourth,  unhair  it;  fifth,  mill  it  through  a  mill 
with  pegs ;  sixth,  put  in  water  and  guano,  to  work  the 
lime  out ;  seventh,  put  in  the  wheel  and  colored  with 
hemlock  liquor ;  eighth,  changed  from  weaker  to  stronger 
liquor  until  tanned,  occupying  from  two  to  six  months, 
according  to  the  thickness  of  the  skin  ;  ninth,  prepared, 
skyved,  scoured,  dried,  greased,  &c.  The  finished  hide 
gains  in  value  a  little  more  than  double. 

The  Martin  school,  Seward,  dates  from  1864.  The 
first  teachers  were :  Artie  Stolp,  Mary  Williams,  and 
Emma  Teed.  The  Sunday  school,  held  in  the  school 
-■  house,  was  commenced  in  1873.  John  Jordan,  Jackson 
Conklin,  and  Henry  Bamford  have  been  the  superin- 
tendents. 

May  7th,  1864,  the  "Kendall  County  Record"  was 
established  by  J.  R.  Marshall.  Five  hundred  subscrib- 
ers were  all  that  was  asked  for,  and  it  was  two  years 
before  they  came;  but  since  then  the  circulation  has 
grown  to  nearly  three  times  that  number. 

IN  1865 

the  proposition  to  incorporate  the  village  of  Yorkville 
was  voted  down.  Also  the  proposition  to  annex  the 
town  of  Somonauk,  DeKalb  county. 

The  bridge  across  the  river  at  Millington  was  built  by 
public  subscription. 

The  County  Bible  Society  donated  eighty-eight  dol- 
lars' worth  of  Bibles  to  the  public  schools  of  the  county, 


372  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

and  they  were  read  every  morning,  by  direction  of  school 
Superintendent,  W.  S.  Coy. 

The  Harvey  school  house,  Oswego,  was  built  this  year. 
The  first  teachers  were:  Miss  Pettit,  Miss  Hoyt,  Miss 
Frankle,  and  Miss  Swarthout. 

IN  1866, 
under  the  head  of  Accidents,  we  may  mention  : 

Steward's  flouring  mill  and  Gardner's  tannery.  Piano, 
burned  July  29th.     Loss,  $15,000. 

R.  M.  Merritt's  store,  Bristol  Station,  burned.  Loss, 
$5,000. 

John  Boyen's  wagon  shop,  Newark,  burned.  Loss, 
$1,000. 

Dwelling  of  Mrs.  C.  P.  Sage,  Oswego,  burned. 

Dwelling  of  H.  J.  Wilcox,  Big  Grove,  burned  July  4. 

George  Hassel  and  team  drowned  at  Millington,  below 
the  dam,  June  1st.  He  drove  into  a  deep  hole.  Left 
wife  and  one  child. 

In  May,  Lewis  Rickard  found  a  piece  of  solid  copper 
weighing  eighty-four  pounds,  and  worth  thirty  dollars, 
on  the  river  bank  three  miles  above  Bristol.  Other 
pieces  are  reported  to  have  been  found  in  the  county 
before. 

Oswego  and  Newark  voted  ''No  license."  Newark 
clung  to  it,  but  Oswego  the  year  following  was  unable 
to  say  "No." 

September  1st,  by  :!  vote  of  two  hundred  and  twenty 
to  fifty-one,  Oswego  voted  to  take  $25,000  in  stock  in 
the  projected  F.  R.  V.  Railroad. 

Mansfield  post-office  was  abolished,  the  name  being 
changed  to  Millbrook.  P.  S.  Lott  was  the  first  postmaster. 


BLACK    HAWK    CAVE    BLOWN    UP.  373 

Elmwood  Cemetery  Association,  Bristol,  and  Kendall 
County  Protective  Association  were  formed. 

A  notable  event  of  the  year  was  the  blowing  up  of 
Black  Hawk's  cave  by  Mr.  Post,  to  get  stone  to  build 
his  new  dam.  The  cave  was  in  the  limestone  in  the  river 
bank,  and  was  a  crooked  hole  three  feet  high,  four  feet 
wide  and  thirty  feet  long.  It  owed  its  fame  to  the  tra- 
dition that  Black  Hawk  and  his  followers  had  hidden 
there.  Mr.  Post  exploded  twenty-six  kegs  of  powder  in 
it,  but  only  cracked  the  top.  The  operation  was  wit- 
nessed by  more  than  one  thousand  people  from  all  parts, 
who  were  disappointed  in  not  seeing  more  terrific  dam- 
age done.  A  man  was  then  kept  at  work  all  winter 
with  drill  and  blast,  preparing  for  another  charge. 
Twelve  kegs  of  powder  were  used,  and  the  historic  cave 
was  entirely  demolished. 

FEBRUARY  9tH,  1867, 

a  great  fire  broke  out  in  Oswego,  which  consumed  a  business 
block  and  a  hotel,  and  burned  up  the  town  and  corpora- 
tion records.  Loss,  $12,000.  Plans  for  rebuilding  were 
at  once  begun.  During  the  season,  six  stone  and  brick 
fronts  were  erected,  a  cheese  factory  opened,  and  the 
new  iron  bridge  built. 

Improvement  was  the  order  of  the  day  at  Millington. 
Hon.  B.  C.  Cook  had  obtained  an  order  from  the  gov- 
ernment for  the  survey  of  Fox  river,  with  a  view  to 
make  it  navigable  by  locks  and  dams,  and  a  meeting  was 
held  May  25th  to  consider  the  subject.  S.  L.  Rowe, 
Jacob  Budd,  Lewis  Steward,  J.  S.  Seeley  and  Enoch 
Spradling  were  appointed  a  standing  committee.  The 
government  surveyor  passed  up  the  river  in   the  fall, 


374  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

arriving  at  Yorkville  September  21st.  It  was  found 
that  Oswego  was  one  hundred  and  forty-five  feet  higher 
than  Ottawa,  and  that  Fox  river  fell  fifty-eight  feet  in 
the  sixteen  miles  between  Oswego  and  Millington. 

A  young  Mr.  Serrine  was  carried  over  the  dam  in  a 
boat  at  Millington,  and  drowned. 

At  the  Latter  Day  Saints'  publishing  house,  in  Piano, 
an  edition  of  five  thousand  copies  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon was  printed.  Joseph  Smith,  Ebenezer  Robinson 
and  Israel  L.  Rogers  were  the  publishing  committee. 

The  Chapman  cemetery,  Seward,  was  opened  at  the 
same  time  with  the  new  school  house.  Bodies  w^ere 
taken  up  from  the  old  ground  and  removed  into  the  new. 

The  opening  of 

THE   YEAR    1868 

was  signalized  by  another  great  freshet.  The  Oswego 
bridge  was  damaged,  the  Bristol  bridge  damaged,  and 
Black's  dam  partially  washed  out,  at  a  loss  of  two  thou- 
sand dollars.  Post's  bridge  was  entirely  carried  away, 
and  three  spans  of  the  new  Millington  bridge  were 
taken.  This  introduced  the  year  that  seemed  to  be 
unusual  for  its  accidents. 

In  March,  Wm.  Hunter,  an  old  settler,  was  killed  by 
the  cars  at  Piano. 

The  same  month  an  incendiary  fire  at  Newark  con- 
sumed Manchester's  drug  store,  Winchell's  hardware 
store,  Bingham's  shoe  store,  and  Hanchett's  art  gallery. 
Loss,  $8,000. 

In  April,  another  incendiary  fire  was  started,  but  dis- 
covered and  put  out. 


SUSPENDED    MANUFACTURES.  375 

In  June,  John  Grees,  a  German,  was  drowned  in  Little 
Rock  creek  while  bathing — on  Sunday. 

In  Julv,  two  men  were  drowned  in  the  river  two  miles 
below  Millington,  while  fishing. 

In  August,  John  Hayes,  of  Plattville,  while  stand- 
ing behind  his  team,  pushing  back  his  load  of  lumber, 
was  run  over  and  killed. 

The  Congregational  church  at  Piano,  and  the 

MILLINGTON  WOOLEN  FACTORY 

were  built  during  the  year ;  the  latter  by  a  stock  com- 
pany. It  is  thirty-six  by  fifty  feet,  four  stories  high, 
and  cost  $25,000.  It  commenced  running  in  1868,  with 
Dwight  Curtis  as  superintendent.  The  machinery  is 
from  Worcester,  Massachusetts ;  of  the  best  make,  and  is 
adapted  for  the  manufacture  of  every  quality  of  goods 
from  varn  and  flannels  to  fine  doeskin. 

After  a  time,  the  factory  was  rented  to  other  parties, 
who  failed  to  make  it  a  success,  and  finally  went  away, 
leaving  behind  them  so  large  an  indebtedness  that  noth- 
ing has  been  done  there  since.  Everythino;  in  the  build- 
ing remains  as  it  was  left  when  the  work  ceased,  five  or 
six  years  ago.  Even  the  oil  jug  and  the  oil  of  vitrol 
case  and  the  nitric  acid  bottle  still  are  there,  with  their 
contents  untouched.  The  sack  of  fuller's  clay,  scarcely 
begun  on,  leans  up  against  the  pillar,  and  the  box  of 
teasels,  used  for  raising  the  nap  on  fine  cloth,  is  but  half 
emptied.  The  teasel  frame,  or  gig  mill,  the  fulling  ma- 
chine and  the  other  finishing  machines,  wait- in  their 
places.  The  belts  are  yet  on  the  wheels,  and  the  race- 
water  can  be  heard  wasting  its  power  down  below,  as  it 
rushes  through  the  grated  gate  and  through  the  buckets 


376  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

of  the  great  turbine  Up  stairs,  the  shuttles  are  hanging 
on  the  looms,  and  baskets  of  bobbins  are  ranged  along 
the  wall.  On  the  third  floor  are  the  carding  machines ; 
on  the  long  spinning-jenny  the  spindles  are  as  bright  as 
if  new  from  the  shop,  and  some  of  the  parti-colored  yarn 
is  not  yet  unwound  from  the  spools.  On  the  fourth  floor 
are  the  wool  cleaners  and  pickers.  The  rafters  above 
the  "blower"  are  still  hung  with  the  shreds  of  wool,  as 
if  the  operatives  had  but  stopped  for  dinner.  In  a  small 
building  adjoining  is  the  empty  tub  and  dye  vat.  Deso- 
lation reigns  around,  and,  as  if  to  make  it  more  impres- 
sive, on  the  brow  of  the  hill  in  front,  five  forsaken  burial 
mounds  overlook  the  forsaken  factory, — the  shadows  of 
the  dim  past  and  enterprise  of  the  bustling  present  meet 
together.  But  should  better  times  come,  the  factory 
may  be  utilized  and  made  profitable. 
Another  silent  factory  is 

black's  paper  mill, 
at  Yorkville.  It  was  running  up  to  the  end  of  1876, 
and  will  open  again  so  soon  as  the  paper  market  improves. 
It  is  a  supplement  to  the  woolen  factory,  or  rather  to 
the  cotton  factory,  as  it  uses  only  cotton  rags.  The 
bales  of  rags  are  first  elevated  to  the  second  story,  where 
they  pass  through  the  hands  of  the  pickers,  and  are  then 
sent  down  to  the  bleach  tubs  to  be  boiled  and  bleached. 
These  are  three  huge  tubs  elevated  above  one's  head, 
and  entered  by  steam  pipes  from  the  boiler  in  the  boiler 
room.  The  steam  discharges  the  colors.  From  there 
they  go  into  four  rag  engines,  holding  three  hundred 
pounds  each,  and  are  ground  up  into  pulp;  passing 
from   th :;nce  into  four  drainers — deep  vats  dug  in   the 


RAILROAD    BOND    QUESTION. 


377 


ground — and  are  bleached  with  chloride  of  lime  ;  return- 
ing to  another  grinding  in  the  engines.  The  white  pulp 
then  begins  its  travels  amonpi;  the  heated  cylinders  of  a 
machine  six  feet  wide  and  sixty  feet  long,  coming  out  at 
the  other  end  firm,  white,  print  paper.  The  mill  is 
driven  bv  six  water  wheels.  E,  A.  Black,  a  settler  of 
1846,  is  the  proprietor. 


CHAPTER  LI, 


THE   MILL  AND   CANAL. 


'HE  chief  excitement  in  1869  was  over 
the  railroad  bond  question.  At  an 
election  held  March  oOth,  Kendall 
county  voted  one  thousand  and  seven- 
ty-four to  eight  hundred  and  five  to 
take  $50,000  stock  in  the  F.  R.  V. 
Railroad.  The  majorities  were  ob- 
tained in  the  towns  along  the  river.  Lisbon  gave  but 
one  vote  for  it,  and  Seward  none  at  all,  while  the  town 
of  Kendall  gave  but  one  against.  The  feeling  ran  very 
high.  May  4th,  the  town  of  Kendall  voted  an  addi- 
tional §25,000  ;  Oswego  did  the  same — making  §50,000 
for  that  township,  and  the  town  of  Fox  voted  §15,000. 
These  issues  were  intended  to  be  in  bonds  of  one  thous- 
and dollars  each,  one  falling  due  every  six  months  until 

25 


378  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

all  were  paid.  Besides  these,  the  sum  of  $15,000  was 
subscribed  by  private  individuals  of  Kendall,  and  $18,- 
000  of  private  subscriptions  from  Oswego,  making  a 
total  of  nearly  $175,000  county  aid  to  the  proposed 
railroad — nearly  $10,000  a  mile  for  all  that  part  of  it 
which  would  be  located  in  the  county.  Thus,  of  the  four 
separate  lines  of  railway  then  being  agitated,  the  Fox 
River  Valley  line  had  the  lead. 

The  second,  the  Chicago,  Plainfield,  Pekin  and  South- 
western, was  to  run  diagonally  through  the  county, 
striking  Plattville  and  Lisbon,  and  much  of  the  line 
was  graded,  and  remains  so. 

The  third,  the  Joliet,  Newark  and  Mendota,  would 
intersect  the  other  at  right  angles,  crossing  the  county 
on  the  opposite  diagonal.  Dr.  W.  M.  Sweetland,  of 
Newark,  was  President  of  this  company. 

The  fourth,  the  Chicago  and  Rock  River,  was  to  run 
from  Lockport  to  Amboy,  via  Yorkville.  Nearly  all 
the  towns  along  the  line  had  voted  the  necessary  stock, 
and  were  confidently  expecting  it  to  be  put  immediately 
through.  Bristol  voted  $30,000,  October  27th,  1869. 
By  this  magnificent  net-work  of  roads,  Yorkville,  Platt- 
ville and  Newark  would  have  been  railroad  junctions, 
and  every  township  in  the  county  would  have  a  railroad 
running  through  some  part  of  it.  0 !  wonderful  day 
dreams,  why  did  ye  not  come  true  ?  Happy  the  far  off 
day  of  the  mercantile  millenium,  when  every  man  can 
enjoy  the  sight  of  the  world  on  wheels  passing  through 
his  field,  without  the  discomfort  of  losing  his  railroad 
stock  by  swindling  directors,  or  his  live  stock  by  passing 
trains. 


THE    TEXAS    CATTLE    DISEASE.  379 

Speaking  of  live  stock  brings  to  memory  the  Texas 
cattle  disease  that  gave  us  a  visit  once.  Major  W.  N. 
Davis,  in  1868,  received  one  hundred  and  eighty  Texas 
steers,  which  he  drove  out  from  Chicago  to  his  farm.  A 
strange  disease  followed  them.  It  seemed  to  be  spread 
along  the  route  over  which  they  had  traveled,  and  while 
thev  were  not  affected  at  all,  other  cattle  were  seized 
with  it  and  died  in  considerable  numbers.  Laureston 
Walker  lost  nine  cows  and  thirty  head  of  young  cattle, 
and  brought  suit  against  Major  Davis  to  recover,  but 
lost  his  case  both  here  and  at  Princeton,  where  it  was 
taken.  Whatever  the  disease,  it  has  not  visited  us  since. 
Another  cattle  panic,  of  a  different  nature,  but  yet  almost 
as  serious,  occurred  in  May,  1869.  Nathan  Brown  and 
Stephen  Ashley  had  collected  throughout  the  county  a 
drove  of  fourteen  hundred  cattle,  which  they  were  to 
herd  during  the  summer  in  Kankakee  county,  and  stop- 
ping over  night  at  Manteno,  the  entire  drove  took  fright 
and  starapeded.  When  once  started,  no  human  power 
could  stop  them.  They  were  confined  in  a  lane,  and  in 
their  struggles  to  get  away,  leaped  on  each  other's  backs, 
or  fell  and  were  trodden  to  death.  Horns  were  knocked 
off,  bones  crushed,  drovers  trampled,  and  nine  animals 
were  killed.  The  noise  of  the  stampede  sounded  like 
thunder,  and  could  be  heard  for  miles.  One  of  the 
drovers,  impelled  by  despair,  fled  the  county.  Scores 
of  horsemen  went  down  from  Kendall  county  searching 
for  their  stock,  and  most  of  them  were  eventually  recov- 
ered. 

Passing  from  stampedes  to  reform — a  Kendall  County 
Prohibition  party  was  formed  at  Oswego,  June  12th.    A 


380  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL  COUNTY. 

convention  was  held  at  Yorkville  in  October,  E.  Moul- 
ton,  president.  A  prohibition  ticket  was  put  in  the 
field  and  received  one  hundred  and  twenty  votes. 

In  July,  a  "Kendall  County  Woman's  Suffrage  Asso- 
ciation "  was  formed,  with  Mrs.  M.  A.  Steward  as  Pres- 
ident. A  convention  was  held  at  Piano,  and  another  at 
Yorkville  in  August. 

Among  the  fatalities  of  the  year  were  two  fatal  falls 
and  a  fatal  burning.  In  March,  Mrs.  McOwan,  of  Bris- 
tol Station,  while  giving  her  little  daughter  a  music  les- 
son, accidentally  knocked  the  lamp  off  the  melodeon,  and 
was  so  badly  burned  that  she  soon  died.  In  October, 
Mr.  Dodd,  of  Bristol,  while  going  with  others  to  do  a 
job  of  threshing,  and  standing  up  in  the  wagon,  fell  out, 
and  breaking  his  skull,  died  in  a  few  hours.  In  Novem- 
ber, Mrs.  Asa  Manchester,  of  Newark,  while  visiting  at 
Mrs.  Edgerton's,  fell  down  the  cellar  stairway,  and  died 
the  next  mornina:. 

Among  the  new  buildings  of  the  year  were  the  Heap 
school  house,  in  Seward,  and  the  residences  of  Lott  Sco- 
field,  in  Big  Grove,  and  of  George  Parker,  in  Oswego. 

The  Heap  school  district  was  the  last  one  formed  in 
the  town  of  Seward.  The  first  teachers  were :  Nellie 
and  Emma  Stolp,  and  Orrin  Bly. 

The  railroad  excitement  sustained  itself  through 

THE    YEAR    1870. 

The  first  train  of  cars  entered  Yorkville,  October  27th, 
and  was  received  with  rejoicing.  Golden  visions  of  div- 
idends on  stock  floated  before  the  minds  of  the  fortunate 
holders  of  the  same.  But  alas  !  for  human  hopes,  espec- 
ially railroad  hopes.     At  the  close  of  the  year  the  entire 


EXCITEMENT    ON    RAILROADS.  381 

road  mysteriously  sold  out  to  the  Chicago,  Burlington 
&  Quincy,  and  the  Kendall  county  stock  was  worth  only 
what  it  would  brino;  for  old  rao;s. 

In  the  meantime,  Little  Rock  and  Bristol  were  a  little 
rent  over  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  road,  and  Lisbon  was  a  good 
deal  rent  over  the  Pekin  and  Southw^estern.  Indeed,  it 
amounted  in  the  latter  town  to  a  railroad  war.  The  ques- 
tion was  whether  the  town  should  vote  an  appropriation. 
At  a  special  election,  held  May  3d,  they  said  ''No," 
one  hundred  and  forty-five  to  sixty-two.  At  an  adjourned 
election,  held  July  1st,  they  uttered  a  fainter  "No,"  one 
hundred  and  thirteen  to  one  hundred  and  three.  At  a 
third  election,  held  August  3d,  the  negative  did  not  vote, 
and  the  affirmative  carried  the  day,  one  hundred  and 
seven  to  three. 

Among  the  year's  fatalities  were,  a  man  accidentally 
shot  and  killed  while  hunting  in  the  Aux  Sable  timber, 
in  Seward  ;  Andrew  Sevinson  accidentally  shot  at  Pavil- 
lion  by  thoughtlessly  crossing  his  leg  over  the  stock  of 
his  cocked  gun;  and  Geo.  H.  Jacobs  and  wife,  bitten 
by  a  mad  dog,  at  Holderman's  Grove,  but  reported  cured 
by  the  application  of  a  mad  stone  kept  by  J.  P.  Evans, 
Lincoln,  Illinois.  During  the  summer,  H.  M.  Bannis- 
ter, Assistant  State  Geologist,  spent  a  few  days  in  the 
county  examining  us  geologically,  but  his  visit  was  too 
hurried  and  his  examination  too  superficial  to  do  us  jus- 
tice. Our  Kendall  county  geology,  properly  explored 
and  written  up,  would  make  a  valuable  and  very  inter- 
esting addition  to  our  history. 


382  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

In  1870,   our  indefatigable   German,   Frederic  Post, 
finished  the  famous  stone  structure  known  as 

post's  dam, 
after  four  years  of  constant  work.  It  crosses  Fox  river 
four  miles  below  Yorkville.  From  fifteen  to  twenty  men 
had  been  employed  on  it  each  season.  It  is  in  the  form 
of  a  segment  of  a  circle,  with  the  convex  side  up  stream, 
twelve  feet  thick  and  eight  feet  high,  laid  in  cement,  and 
cost  §15,000.  It  is  certainly  one  of  the  finest  river 
dams  in  the  country.  Brownell  Wing,  of  Big  Grove, 
bought  a  half  interest  in  it  for  §6,000,  and  proceeded  to 
put  up  a  stone  flouring  mill,  with  four  run  of  stone  and 
four  turbine  water  wheels — the  whole  costing  some  §30,- 
000,  exclusive  of  the  water  power.  He  was  obliged  to 
borrow  money  to  finish  it,  only  to  find,  when  the  machin- 
ery was  in  and  all  things  in  readiness,  that  the  enter- 
prise would  not  succeed.  The  railroad,  instead  of  mak- 
ing a  depot  there,  as  he  expected,  left  him  half  a  mile  to 
one  side.  Other  causes,  too,  combined  to  disappoint  his 
plans.  The  splendid  mills  were  never  started,  and  the 
building  still  stands  in  its  massive  loneliness,  its  broken 
windows  staring  out  on  the  river  and  looking  over  the 
high  banks  on  either  side,  a  mute  witness  to  the  truth 
that  ''the  best  laid  plans  of  mice  and  men  gang  aft  aglee." 
It  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Valley  Power  Company, 
and  is  now  owned  by  it.  The  dam,  too,  which  was 
intended  to  be  almost  as  enduring  as  the  earth,  has  been 
undermined  by  the  power  of  the  water,  the  foundation 
boulders  washed  out,  and  a  breach  of  several  rods  in 
length  has  been  made,  which  there  is  at  present  no  finan- 
cial inducement  to  repair.     Post's  dam  is  no  more. 


THE    MILLINGTON    CANAL.  383 

Soon  after  the  mill  was  completed,  a  brace  of  thieves 
entered  it  one  night  and  with  sledge  hammers  broke  up 
nearly  all  the  costly  machinery  for  old  iron.  One  of 
them  was  afterward  apprehended.  The  time  may  yet 
come  when  the  property  may  be  utilized,  but  at  present 
it  is  the  most  striking  and  romantic  ruin  we  have  in 
Kendall  county.  It  is  much  frequented  as  a  place  of 
summer  resort.  Nothing  but  the  pillars  and  stairwaj  s 
is  within,  except  the  heavy  burr  stones,  one  or  two  of 
which  have  been  thrown  down  through  the  floors. 

Closely  connected  with  the  Post's  dam  and  Wing's 
mill  enterprise  is  the 

MILLINGTON    CANAL, 

projected  by  the  Valley  Water  Power  Company.  The 
charter  was  obtained  by  Hon.  J.  W.  Eddy  in  1866. 
After  a  delay  of  six  years,  ground  was  finally  broken  on 
the  north  side  of  the  river,  above  the  woolen  mill  at 
Millington,  by  an  eight  horse  ditcher  from  Ottawa,  Au- 
gust 30th,  1872.  Speculators  and  press  correspondents 
were  present  from  all  the  surrounding  towns  and  from 
Chicago.  Never  before  were  so  many  men  of  note  and 
intelligence  gathered  at  one  time  in  Millington,  and 
everybody  was  full  of  enthusiasm.  At  the  close  of  the 
ditching  the  company  retired  to  the  hall  over  Foster's 
store,  where  a  sumptuous  banquet  was  spread. 

The  canal  was  to  be  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide 
and  eight  feet  deep.  The  route  had  been  surveyed  to 
Post's  dam  by  Mr.  Eddy  and  George  Steward  in  Sep- 
tember, 1867,  when  they  found  the  distance  to  be  four 
and  a-half  miles,  with  a  fall  of  twenty-one  feet.  A  plate 
glass  manufactory,  employing  four  hundred  men,  was  in 


384  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

prospect,  utilizing  the  white  sand  quarry.  It  was  also 
in  intention  to  carry  power  over  the  river  to  the  grist 
mill  by  wire  cable. 

Work  was  begun  on  the  canal  at  the  upper  end,  and 
considerable  progress  made,  but  the  dull  times  finally 
caused  the  work  to  stop  until  a  revival  of  business  shall 
warrant  its  resumption. 

The  new  German  Evangelical  meeting  house  on  the 
prairie  in  Oswego  was  built  in  1871.  The  German  set- 
tlement dates  from  1845,  and  the  first  meeting  house  was 
erected  in  1848.  School  was  held  in  the  basement.  The 
church  society  was  organized  about  the  same  time.  In 
1860  they  bought  the  Presbyterian  church  building  in 
the  village,  and  have  used  both  houses  alternately  ever 
since.  The  original  house  is  now  the  school  house.  The 
pastors  have  been  :  Samuel  Tobias,  Samuel  Dickover, 
John  Hanert,  John  Schnagel,  William  Strassburger, 
Jacob  Himmel,  Martin  Stamm,  J.  F.  Schnee,  H.  Hintze, 
J.  G.  Miller,  Henry  Bucks,  C.  Kopp,  Christian  Hum- 
mel, J.  M.  Sindlinger,  V.  Forkel,  John  Kuechel,  C. 
Augustine,  John  Schneider  and  William  Neitz.  The 
Evangelical  Association  is  Methodist  in  doctrine,  and 
was  founded  by  Jacob  Albright  about  1800. 


CHAPTER  Lll. 


NEW    ENTERPRISES. 


MONG  the  enterprises  of  the  year  1872  were 
the  starting  of  the  Yorkville  "iVe^^s,"  April 
2nd,  since  removed  to  Piano,  and  the  Mil- 
lingion  ^' &terprise,"  in  December.  The 
Oswego  ''  Vidette,"  after  a  short  existence, 
was  taken  to  Aurora.  The  Oswego  "  Bald 
Hornet''  also  had  a  short  life.  A  prospec- 
tus had  been  issued  for  the  Newark  ^''  Journal^'"  to  be  a 
large,  seven  column  paper,  but  it  never  appeared.  The 
Newark  "  Clipper,'"  however,  still  continues  to  put  in  an 
occasional  appearance. 

At  Yorkville,  Hutchinson's  ice  house  was  built — one 
hundred  feet  square,  with  a  capacity  of  seven  thousand 
tons.  It  was  expected  to  ship  thirty  tons  daily  to  Chi- 
cago during  the  summer. 

At  Plattville,  the  last  of  Mr.  Piatt's  flowing  wells  were 
sunk.  They  were  located  by  Mr.  Harper,  a  water 
wizard,  of  Plattville,  with  a  forked  apple  twig  held  fork 
downward  under  his  nose.  The  wells  are  at  the  store, 
house  and  barn.  The  deepest  is  fifty-one  feet ;  the  third, 
thirty-one  feet,  and  flows  unceasingly  through  a  two  inch 
pipe. 


386  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

THE    MILLBROOK    SHOPS 

were  commenced  jn  1872,  by  Edward  Budd,  as  a  factory 
in  general,  and  of  "  gophers  "  or  corn  cultivators  in  par- 
ticular. He  also  manufactured  riding  plows,  and  does  a 
business  of  some  twenty  thousand  dollars  a  year.  Both 
the  gophers  and  the  riding  attachment  to  the  plows  are 
Kendall  county  inventions,  and  have  had  a  large  sale. 

They  have  effected  a  change  in  the  operations  of  the 
field  since  the  days  when  the  double  shovel  plow  and  the 
cast  iron  mouldboard  were  the  reliances  of  farmers.  In- 
deed, farming,  with  other  employments,  is  fast  losing  its 
drudgery.  It  remains  but  to  substitute  some  other 
motive  power  for  horses,  and  the  day  in  which  it  will  be 
done  is  doubtless  approaching. 

Millbrook  owes  much  of  its  prosperity  to  the  enter- 
prise of  the  Budds.  Tunis  Budd  was  here  in  1844, 
from  Duchess  county,  New  York.  He  bought  the  farm 
where  Edward  now  lives  of  Stephen  Bates.  Mathew 
came  in  1846,  and  Edward  and  Jacob  soon   afterwards. 

In  1872  Milford's  new  name  was  chansred  bv  some 
sudden  but  unobserved  process  from  Mellington  to  Mill- 
ington. 

No  notable  accidents  are  to  be  recorded.  The  previous 
summer  Andrew  Widdup  was  drowned  in  the  river  at 
Millington.  There  was,  however,  a  tragedy  at  Oswego 
in  September.  Samuel  West  shot  and  killed  Mark  New- 
berry. It  was  a  repulsive  case,  caused  by  scandal,  and 
it  was  difficult  to  decide  on  which  party  to  bestow  sym- 
pathy. The  murderer  was  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary 
for  life. 


INCIDENTS    AND   ACCIDENT    OP    73.  387 

EARLY   IN    1873, 

a  peddler,  calling  himself  J.  Johnson,  was  murdered 
just  over  the  line  in  LaSalle,  near  Mr.  Terry's.  The 
body  was  carried  down  into  the  Mission  timber,  where 
it  was  found.  The  murdered  man's  real  name  was  after- 
ward found  to  be  Samuel  Davis,  and  he  was  supposed  to 
be  the  moneyed  man  of  the  company.  Two  years  after- 
wards, a  man  sentenced  to  be  executed  in  Germany,  con- 
fessed on  the  gallows  to  having  committed  a  murder 
near  Sheridan,  Illinois.  Undoubtedly  it  was  the  same 
man,  followed  thousands  of  miles  and  overtaken  at  last 
by  justice. 

December  24th,  on  his  eighty-first  birthday,  Marcus 
Misner  was  thrown  from  his  buggy  by  being  tipped  over 
a  little  bridge,  and  lived  but  two  days. 

During  the  year,  a  county  "  Teachers'  Association" 
was  organized.  Also,  a  "Farmers'  Association,"  Lott 
Scofield  being  President.  The  members  of  the  latter 
will  be  better  known  under  their  national  title  of  "  Grang- 
ers." This  organization  grew  like  corn  in  summer,  and 
became  an  important,  and  in  some  States  a  controlling 
element  in  politics.  It  called  general  attention  to  many 
abuses,  and  in  some  things  accomplished  a  needed  reform. 

The  Young  school,  Bristol,  was  opened  in  1873. 
The  following  have  been  teachers  :  William  Wing,  Mer- 
rill Fellows,  Mrs.  Rathbun  and  Grace  Putney. 

The  cemetery  in  the  neighborhood  is  known  as  the 
Jacob  Keck  graveyard.  The  first  burial  was  Alonzo 
Staley. 

The  "  Horse  Association,"  of  Piano,  is  a  recent  organ- 
ization.     They  have  at  present  ten  stallions  and  several 


388  HISTORY   OF   KENDALL   COUNTY. 

trotters  and  thoroughbreds.  One  imported  Clyde,  from 
Scotland,  weighs  a  hundred  weight  more  than  a  ton, 
while  a  Shetland  mare  and  tiny  colt  would  both  of  them 
hardly  weigh  four  hundred  pounds,  and  are  worth  a  dol- 
lar a  pound. 

One  of  the  best  remembered 

EVENTS    OF    1875 

is  the  death  of  Newton  S.  Grimwood,  then  local  reporter  for 
the  Evening  Journal^  who  accompanied  Prof  Donaldson 
in  his  last  balloon  ascension,  July  loth.  They  went  up 
from  Chicago,  were  carried  over  the  lake  out  of  sight, 
and  were  never  ao;ain  heard  of  alive.  A  bodv  believed 
to  be  that  of  Grimwood  was  found  on  the  Michioran 
beach,  and  buried.  His  father,  William  Grimwood,  of 
Bristol,  is  an  old  settler  of  1843. 

The  Seward  town  house  was  built  in  1876.  Unfor- 
tunately, there  is  no  center  road  in  that  township,  and 
the  voters  have  not  yet  been  able  to  agree  where  the 
hall  shall  stand,  whether  north  or  south  of  the  centre  of 
the  town. 

In  Little  Rock  village,  a  Union  church,  costing  $2,- 
400,  was  completed.  It  is  open  to  preachers  of  different 
denominations.  Early  preachers  in  that  vicinity  have 
been  :  Baptist — John  Beaver  ;  Protestant  Methodist — 
Mr.  Woolston  and  Mr.  Rogers  ;  Episcopal  Methodist — 
Dr.  Arnold  and  Mr.  Batcheldor ;  Presbyterian — Henry 
Bergen. 

The  Chicago,  Millington  and  Western 

NARROW  GAUGE    RAILROAD 

was  chartered  in  1872,  and  the  preliminary  survey  made 
through  to  Muscatine,  two  hundred  miles,  in  1873.    But 


MILLINGTON    MANUFACTURING   ENTERPRISES.      389 

the  financial  crisis  of  that  year  retarded  further  opera- 
tion until  1875,  when  grading  was  begun  from  Chicago, 
going  west.  It  enters  the  city  on  Twenty-second  street. 
At  the  present  time  the  road  is  completed  to  Fullers- 
burg,  nineteen  miles,  and  most  of  the  grading  is  done  to 
Warrenville.  Another  route  has  been  surveyed  via 
Plainfield,  and  it  is  not  yet  determined  which  shall  be 
chosen.  This  latter  survey  was  made  in  1876,  and  is 
said  to  be  the  eleventh  railroad  survey  that  has  been 
made  over  the  Plainfield  prairies, — and  they  keep  their 
mail  stage  yet. 
The  Millington 

ENAMEL  WORKS 

were  opened  in  the  spring  of  1876.  D.  W.  Clark,  of 
Park  Ridge,  Illinois,  was  the  patentee  of  the  process. 
The  works  were  ninety-five  by  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  feet ;  the  two  enameling  kilns,  twenty-four  feet  in 
diameter  and  thirty-five  feet  high,  and  holding  twenty- 
thousand  bricks  each,  including  the  saggers,  or  cases  of 
fire  clay.  The  works  were  built  by  a  stock  company,  at 
a  cost  of  $13,000.  The  first  process  was  to  melt  the 
enameling  material  together  in  a  small  kiln, — this  was 
the  essential  part  of  the  patent, — after  which  it  was 
ground  in  a  mill,  mixed  with  water  and  the  bricks  dipped 
in  the  solution.  Four  or  five  bricks  were  placed  in  each 
sagger,  and  the  whole  subjected  in  the  great  kilns  to  an 
intense  heat  for  thirty-six  hours.  But  before  the  first 
lot  were  burned  the  works  took  fire  and  burned  down, 
and  have  not  been  rebuilt. 

THE    BOOT   AND    SHOE    FACTORY 

at  Piano  is  under  the  same  management  as  the  tannery ; 


390  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

S.  W.,  and  E.  Jacobs,  Superintendents.  They  use  up 
the  tannery  stock,  except  the  harness  leather,  and  do  a 
business  at  .present  of  $25,000  a  year.  The  work 
is  systematized  as  in  the  largest  establishments.  The 
leather  first  goes  to  the  cutter,  who  cuts  out  the  fronts, 
backs  and  soles ;  then  the  crimper  shapes  the  fronts  and 
uppers  to  the  foot ;  the  fitter  sews  the  fronts  and  backs 
to£;ether ;  the  bottomer  puts  on  the  soles;  the  finisher 
finishes  the  soles  ;  the  treer  finishes  the  fronts ;  and  the 
packer  puts  up  the  finished  boots  in  cases  of  twelve  pairs 
each,  assorted  sizes. 

The  Piano  Baptist  church  was  ors^anized  in  1877.  Its 
history  dates  'back  to  1836,  when  Rev.  John  Beaver 
organized  a  little  church  in  Jacob  Crandall's  slab  house, 
in  the  edge  of  the  timber,  west  of  the  present  site  of 
Piano.  The  constituent  members  were  :  John  Beaver, 
Enos  Ives,  P.  Clark,  A.  Bush  and  J.  Crandall,  and  their 
wives,  old  Mr.  Darnell,  and  others.  It  did  not  continue, 
however,  and  in  1860  another  church  was  formed  in 
Piano  village  by  Rev.  Mr.  Kinne.  That,  too,  after  some 
years,  ceased  to  be  active.  The  present  church  was 
gathered  by  Rev.  L.  Steward,  who  is  still  the  pastor. 


CHAPTER  LIU 


OUR  NATURAL  POSSESSIONS. 

OME  OF  the  natural  possessions  of  Ken- 
dall county  have  already  been  alluded  to. 
Here  they  are  grouped  together.  We 
have  no  wide  forests  or  deep  mines  ;  all 
that  nature  has  given  us  that  need  be 
noticed  are  modifications  of  those  two 
indispensable  elements — water  and  soil. 
And  we  are  content.  Blessed  water  !  Praises  to  the 
old  chemical  symbol,  HO,  9  !  We  have  it  here,  and  that 
which  is  good.  Not  the  drainino;  of  the  slou2:hs,  but  the 
filterings  of  the  rocks  is  our  drink.  And  we  have  the 
ornamental  as  well  as  the  more  generally  useful. 

THE  MAGNETIC  SPRINGS 

are  at  Mr.  Piatt's,  in  Plattville.  There  are  a  dozen  dif- 
ferent sorts  of  mineral  springs,  according  to  the  nature 
of  the  rock  through  which  they  percolate,  and  each  sort 
is  useful  for  a  corresponding  class  of  disorders.  Piatt's 
springs  being  somewhat  electrical,  are  helpful  in  rheu- 
matism and  nervous  disorders.  A  knife  blade  rubbed  on 
the  iron  tubing  becomes  magnetized,  and  may  be  raised 
by  a  door  key.     The  water  is  unusually  bland  and  pleas- 


392  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

ant,  and  horses  and  cattle  drink  immoderate  quantities 
of  it.  These  springs  belong  to  the  class  of  Sulphated 
Chalybeate  waters,  viz  :  impregnated  with  iron  and  sul- 
phur. Four  miles  further  down  as  water  runs  are  the 
true 

SULPHUR  SPRINGS, 

on  J.  W.  House's  land.  The  first,  in  front  of  his  house, 
is  not  so  valuable,  but  the  larger  one  in  the  grove  emits 
a  strong  aroma  of  sulphur.  This  water  is  beneficial  in 
scrofulous  and  skin  diseases,  and  is  as^good  for  the  well 
as  for  the  sick.  There  are  many  sulphur  springs  in 
every  country,  and  they  are  among  the  most  valuable  of 
nature's  gifts  to  us. 

Passing  from  water,  we  may  come  to  our 

SOILS. 

Grateful  soil !  Not  the  tough  clay  of  the  woodland  is 
ours,  nor  the  porous  sand  that  scours  the  plow  but  cheats 
the  harvest.  No,  no,  Kendall  county  crops  have  for 
their  support  the  black  humus,  the  slow  product  of  sixty 
centuries  of  vegetation.  Soils  are  formed  by  the  disin- 
tegration of  rocks  and  the  decay  of  vegetable  matter, 
and  are  named  after  the  sort  of  rock  from  which  their 
mineral  elements  have  come.  Sandstone  makes  a  sandy 
soil,  and  limestone  a  loamy  soil.  Ours  is  mostly  the 
latter.  And  Avith  groves  every  few  miles,  which  pro- 
mote moisture  and  draw  the  rain,  we  are  not  subject  to 
the  long  droughts  of  surrounding  counties,  whose  flat 
plains  are  almost  treeless. 

Coming  to  the  less  useful,  we  have  good 

PEAT 

in  several   places  in  the  county,  and  especially  on  the 


PEAT    AND    COAL.  393 

north  side  of  the  river,  near  Wing's  mill,  where  a 
deposit  one  hundred  acres  broad  and  six  feet  thick  awaits 
the  dav  when  wood  shall  be  scarce  and  coal  shall  be 
dear,  in  order  that  it  may  be  utilized.  Peat  is  of  the 
nature  of  coal,  and  is  formed  by  the  decomposition  of 
reeds  or  grass,  as  coal  is  formed  from  the  decomposition 
of  softwood.  Coal,  too,  has  been  pressed  together  by 
the  weight  of  overlying  earth  and  rock,  while  peat  is 
near  the  surface  and  is  not  pressed.  Coal  that  has  not 
been  through  the  "  press"  is  called  lignite.  Peat  is 
formed  in  bogs,  which  differ  from  slouojhs  in  that  the 
latter  is  simply  black  mire,  while  the  former  is  a  spongy 
mass  held  together  by  the  rootlets  of  plants.  Sloughs, 
too,  are  usually  covered  by  an  even  coat  of  grass,  while 
bogs  are  varied  with  grassy  hillocks  rising  above  the 
rest  and  having  a  firmer  soil.  Sloughs,  when  drained, 
will  raise  good  crops,  but  bogs  are  comparatively  worth- 
less. There  are  two  varieties  of  peat,  viz  :  black  and 
brown,  the  former  being  the  more  perfect ;  but  that 
found  in  this  vicinity  is  generally  brown.  The  deposit 
along  the  river,  by  Wing's  mill,  is  by  far  the  largest  in 
the  county.  Two  public  roads  run  over  it.  Pieces  of  drift- 
wood and  well  preserved  logs  are  found  in  it.  The  entire 
vicinity  was  once  a  lake,  and  has  been'filling  up  with  pre- 
served vegetation  and  the  debris  of  annual  freshets.  To 
obtain  the  peat,  remove  about  eighteen  inches  of  the  surface 
soil,  when  a  substance  is  reached  looking  like  buried 
sods,  which  can  be  cut  into  firm  cakes  with  a  spade. 
Thoroughly  dried  in  the  sun,  it  makes  good  fuel,  and  a 
hot  fire. 

26 


394  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

Passing  from  peat  to 

SAND, 

we  have  enough  in  this  county  for  plastering  purposes, 
and  further  we  crave  not.  It  does  not  desolate  our 
fields  nor  fill  the  air  when  the  wind  blows,  but  stays 
quietly  in  its  own  beds  until  it  is  fetched, — it  may  be  at 
fifty  cents  a  load,  besides  the  hauling.  But  it  is  better 
to  buy  what  one  wants  than  to  have  more  than  he  wants 
for  nothing.     We  also  have  a  good  quality  of 

MOULDING   SAND, 

a  kind  that  is  comparatively  rare.  Indeed,  it  is  prop- 
erly an  earth,  or  rather  a  mixture  of  clay  and  sand. 
It  is  used  by  moulders  in  making  castings.  Pure  sand 
does  not  pack  close  enough,  and  pure  earth  packs  too 
close,  and  does  not  allow  the  gases  to  escape.  A  fine 
deposit  of  moulding  sand  is  found  near  Montgomery, 
and  another  south  of  Wing's  mill,  opposite  the  peat  bed. 
But  our  most  valuable  sand  property  is  the  Millington 
quarry  of 

WHITE    SAND, 

in  the  ancient  formation  known  in  geology  as  the  St. 
Peter's  sandstone.  It  comes  to  the  surface  in  spots  in 
nearly  all  the  Western  States.  It  forms  a  large  part  of  the 
Illinois  and  Fox  river  bluffs.  The  fiimous  Starved  Rock 
is  wholly  composed  of  it.  It  is  found  deepest  on  Rock 
river,  above  the  village  of  Oregon,  but  is  so  stained  with 
oxide  of  iron,  or  drippings  of  iron,  as  to  be  useless, 
except  for  scenery.  It  looks  at  a  distance  like  masses 
of  painted  rock.  The  mineral  spring  of  Ottawa,  though 
coming   from  a  depth,  as  is   supposed,  of  four  hundred 


GEOLOGICAL    FORMATIONS.  39o 

feet,  has  its  source  in  this  sand  rock.  The  "Pictured 
Rocks"  and  copper  mines  of  Lake  Superior  are  of  the 
same  age.  The  usual  gray  color  of  the  rock  is  owing 
to  the  red  iron  stains  being  removed  by  organic  matter. 
It  is  the  most  remarkable  formation  in  the  State,  and  is 
the  oldest  in  this  part,  with  the  exception  of  the 
hydraulic  limestone  at  LaSalle  and  Utica,  from  which 
the  well  known  cement  is  made. 

The  value  of  the  Millington  quarry  arises  from  the 
fact  that  it  has  never  been  colored  by  oxide  of  iron  or 
other  mineral  salts,  and  is,  therefore,  perfectly  pure.  It 
is  in  reality  a  river  bluff,  but  is  a  third  of  a  mile  back 
from  the  river,  on  the  edge  of  the  valley. 

The  face  of  the  quarry  is  about  twenty -five  rods  long, 
and  thirty  feet  high  in  the  centre,  and  where  not  fresh 
quarried  is  browned  by  the  weather  and  discolored  by 
the  rain  trickling  down  from  above.  The  sand  rock  lies 
in  oblique  layers  four  or  five  feet  thick,  inclined  most  to 
the  west :  each  laver  stratified  in  thin  sheets.  At  the 
east  side  the  layers  are  horizontal,  and  the  hill  is  finished  off 
by  a  deposit  of  clay  and  gravel,  which  also  covers  the 
entire  rock  to  the  depth  of  three  feet.  This  east  end 
was  therefore  deposited  first,  at  the  bottom  of  a  lake  or 
shallow  sea,  which  afterwards  began  to  dry  up  :  or  the 
shores  were  elevated,  and  each  portion  of  the  western 
part  of  the  hill  became  successively  the  sloping  beach  of 
the  receding  sea.  In  a  subsequent  age  the  east  end  was 
partially  carried  away  by  a  river  or  torrent,  and  the  clay 
and  gravel  piled  up  as  a  bandage  to  the  amputated  rock. 

What  a  strange  looking  world  it  must  have  been  in 
those   St.   Peter's   sandstone  days,  before  the  sand  was 


396  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

reddened  with  iron,  or  made  gray  by  the  dye  being 
washed  out.  Broad  sheets  and  long  lines  of  purest  white 
wherever  the  low  flats  and  sand  beaches  protruded  them- 
selves above  the  water.  Yet  it  is  hardly  correct  to  speak 
of  the  world  as  being  white,  for  this  peculiar  formation 
covered  only  what  is  now  the  lead  region  of  the  northwest, 
and  is  found  nowhere  else  on  the  continent.  The  whole 
subject  of  its  origin  is  shrouded  in  mystery.  It  comes 
very  useful,  however,  and  we  can  see  now  that  the 
resources  of  our  inland  States  would  have  been  incom- 
plete without  it — a  fact  the  Creator  saw  from  the  begin 
ning. 

Over  the  face  of  the  quarry  run  veins  that  seem  to 
have  been  glued  together,  and  stand  out  in  sheets  as 
thick  as  sole  leather;  in  some  places  an  inch  from  the 
surface.  These  are  supposed  to  have  been  caused  by 
thin  crusts  of  sandstone  having  been  impregnated  with  a 
strong  solution  of  oxyde  of  iron,  or  rust  of  iron,  while 
the  rock  was  deposited  by  the  water. 

The.  surface  markings,  or  lines,  are  probably  wind 
marks. 

^  The  sand  itself  is  pure  silica,  nearly  as  white  as  snow. 
It  is  composed  of  rounded,  transparent  grains  of  crystal- 
line quartz,  and  is  found  in  such  inexhaustible  quanti- 
ties in  Kendall  and  LaSalle  counties,  that  we  might  man- 
ufacture all  the  glass  for  the  United  States.  It  under- 
lies Fox  River  above  Millington,  and  juts  out  on  the 
other  side  in  a  tongue  of  white  sandrock,  between  two 
limestone  quarries. 

It  was  known  to  the  early  settlers,  and  brought  long 
distances  for  plastering  sand,  although  it  does  not  make 


WHITE    SAND    QUARRIES.  397 

as  firm  mortar  as  common  sand,  the  grains  being  too 
smooth.  Teams  came  from  Aurora,  Naperville,  Plain- 
field,  and  even  from  still  more  distant  points.  The  land 
in  which  the  present  quarry  is  worked  was  first  entered 
by  Charles  Koyal,  more  than  forty  years  ago,  except  a 
piece  on  the  east  end,  which  was  entered  by  Chris.  Mis- 
ner.      Both  parties  afterwards  sold  to  Thomas  Serrine. 

The  quarry  is  now^  worked  by  a  Chicago  company. 
They  ship  several  car  loads  a  week — mostly  to  Ohio 
glass  factories.  The  price  is  eight  dollars  a  car  load,  of 
ten  or  twelve  tons,  the  purchaser  paying  freight.  One 
man  can  fill  a  car  in  half  a  day,  if  he  can  get  sand.  It 
is  in  a  rocky  mass,  and  is  blasted  with  powder  to  bring 
it  down.  The  men  are  careful  to  get  in  no  earth,  or 
pieces  of  the  metallic  veins,  or  yellow  sand — though  the 
latter  is  only  colored  by  rain  and  will  wash  white.  The 
deposit  is  supposed  to  be  about  fifty  feet  thick,  and 
extends  along  the  face  of  the  hill  by  the  railroad  for  a 
considerable  distance.  In  this  hill,  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
east  of  the  quarry,  a  spring  of  cool  water  gushes  out  of 
a  large  crevice  in  the  rock,  and  flows  away  over  a  bed  of 
sparkling  white  sand.  Close  by,  in  a  ravine,  another 
spring  issues  from  a  tiny  cavern  in  the  sandrock,  and 
one  can  hear  the  musical  trickling  of  the  water  inside, 
as  it  falls  on  the  stones.  Between  those  springs  and  the 
quarry  is  a  romantic  looking  waterfall,  half  hidden  by 
wild  grapes  and  ivy.  No  stream  runs  over  it,  but  a  deep 
channel  is  worn  in  the  rock,  showing  that  it  has  been  in 
use  sometime.  And  perhaps  in  the  forgotten  past  more 
than  one  Indian  Minnehaha  met  her  dusky  lover  there  and 
exchanged  vows  to  the  music  of  the  tinkling  waterfall. 


398  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL  COUNTY. 

But  to-day,  reality  instead  of  romance  rules  the  hour. 
The  tiny  cataract,  affrighted,  shrinks  back  and  perishes, 
and  we  dig  down  the  hills  of  primordial  sand  that  have 
been  crystallized  once  in  Nature's  fire,  and  crystallize 
them  again  in  our  own. 

Our  white  sand  is  a  true  sand  rock,  though   soft,  and 
we  have  an  abundance  of  lime  rock  or 

LIMESTONE, 

carbonate  of  lime  the  chemists  call  it,  and  in  all  the 
various  styles,  from  the  sediment  in  the  tea  kettle  to  the 
deposit  in  the  quarry.  Natural  limestone  is  the  product 
of  shells  and  corals,  and  is  a  mute  witness  of  that  far 
off  time  when  the  deep  sea  rolled  its  billows  where  prairie 
flowers  now  bloom.  Without  that  time  of  watery  deso- 
lation our  possessions  would  have  been  very  incomplete, 
for  what  could  we  have  done  without  limestone  ?  It  is 
among  rocks  what  iron  is  among  metals.  Bridge  build- 
ers say  the  crushing  weight  of  limestone  is  four  hundred 
and  ninety  tons  to  the  square  foot,  while  sandstone  is  but 
two  hundred  tons,  and  brickwork  thirty  tons.  There- 
fore its  value  as  building  stone.  There  are  some  dozen 
quarries  in  the  county. 

We  have  also  in  many  places  a  good  quality  of 

BRICK    CLAY. 

There  either  are  or  have  been  brick  yards  near  each  one 
of  our  older  villages,  and  by  the  same  token  there  could 
be  again,  so  far  as  the  supply  of  clay  is  concerned. 
Most  of  the  ancient  bricks  were  sun  dried,  and  on  the 
alluvial  plains  of  Egypt  and  Babylon  were  mixed  with 
straw,  as  they  had  none  of  our  tenacious  clays.     Bricks 


potter's  clay  and  wood.  399 

become  red  in  bakinor,  from  the  quantity  of  iron  in  the 
clay.     We  also  have 

potters'   clay. 

It  was  tried  by  Isaac  Grover,  in  his  "  juggery,"  forty 
years  ago,  and  proved  a  success ;  and  probably  the  mound 
builders  used  it  before  him  for  those  bowls  of  which  the 
pieces  are  being  found  and  saved  to-day. 

And  finally,  though  coal   mines   are  on  our  borders, 
we  have 

WOOD 

at  our  doors.  On  our  two  hundred  thousand  acres  of 
land  we  have  twenty-five  thousand  acres  of  timber  ;  not 
in  a  dense  body,  but  in  generous  strips  along  the  streams 
and  in  those  beautiful  upland  groves  which  charmed  our 
early  settlers. 


CHAPTER  LIV. 


OUR  INVENTIONS. 


lUR  COUNTY  can  boast  of  its  full  share 
of  worthy  inventors  who  have  aided  in 
the  wonderful  advance  of  the  last  quar- 
ter of  a  century.  And  in  nothing  is  this 
advance  seen  more  than  in  agricultural 
machinery,  especially  harvesters  and 

PLOWS. 

Forty-two  years  ago  the  plow  had  a  wooden  mould- 
board,  hewed  out  of  a  slab,  and  tipped  with  an  iron 
shear.  For  breaking  plows  it  required  a  slab  six  feet 
long.  Daniel  Webster's  breaking  plow,  made  by  him- 
self in  1837,  is  thirteen  feet  long,  and  the  mouldboard 
is^overed  with  wrought  iron  strips. 
(,  About  1839,  mouldboards  were  made  of  boiler  iron, 
cut  into  the  right  shape  with  cold  chisels.  The  Grand 
Detour  plow  was  of  this  kind.  Then  followed  cast  iron 
mouldboards. 

About  1847,  right  width  mouldboard  iron  came  into 
the  market,  from  which  plates  could  be  cut  as  they  were 
wanted.  Next,  the  cast  steel  plows  came  in,  which  we 
are  using  to-day.  Fletcher  Misner,  at  Millington,  is  our 
oldest  plow  manufacturer.\ 


PATENTS    IN    KENDALL    COUNTY.  401 

Riding  plows  are  the  fashion  to-day,  and  are  manu- 
factured successfully  at  Millbrook  and  other  points. 
In  1873  James  C.  Cams  took  out  a  patent  on  the  mode 
of  attaching  the  plow  to  the  frame,  by  which  the  draught 
is  lessened. 

In  the  department  of 

CULTIVATORS 

we  have  five  patents.  Jacob  Zimmerman,  Oswego,  1855, 
improved  cultivator.  Parley  F.  Freeland,  Newark,  1859, 
a  machine  designed  to  answer  equally  well  in  killing  the 
weeds  and  pulverizing  the  soil. 

F.  &  P.  A.  Misner,  Millington,  1860,  a  double  culti- 
vator with  protecting  wings,  designed  to  work  both  sides 
of  the  row  at  one  operation. 

Nelson  Messenger,  Newark,  1860,  Messenger  Gopher; 
blades  fifteen  inches  long,  attached  to  the  machine  by  a 
patent  angle.  This  has  proved  to  be  a  superior  imple- 
ment, and  has  been  extensively  manufactured  at  the 
Millbrook  Works,  where  the  patent  is  now  owned. 

Mr.  Wilkinson,  Plattville,  1877,  improved  gopher 
shovel. 

Ezra  McEwen,  Lisbon,  1864,  riding  gopher,  adjusta- 
ble blades,  to  run  deep  or  shallow ;  also,  reversible,  to 
throw  the  dirt  away  from  the  corn  the  first  time  through, 
being  attached  to  the  tongue  by  a  flexible  joint. 
About  sixty  were  made  at  the  Lisbon  shop. 

Nelson  Messenger,  1876,  improved  gopher,  manufac- 
tured at  Ottawa.  The  appellation  "gopher"  is  a  local 
name  referring  to  the  peculiar  shape  of  the  blades  or 
shovels.  They  are  certainly  the  best  implements  for 
working  corn,  as  they  destroy  the  weeds  without  cutting 


402  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

the   corn   roots,  and  many  claim  thereby  to  produce  ten 
bushels  more  corn  to  the  acre. 

HARROWS. 

Greorge  Cook,  Bristol  Station,  1862,  a  jointed  harrow, 
designed  to  prevent  clogging. 

Isaac  Harris,  Pavilion,  1877,  riding  harrow.  By  this 
invention  the  farmer  is  freed  from  the  last  necessity  of 
soiling  his  boots  from  the  time  the  first  furrow  is  plowed 
to  the  time  when  the  last  sheaf  is  gathered. 

REAPERS. 

The  Hussey  reaper,  Virginia,  was  the  first  one  made 
with  sections  for  the  cutting  edge,  and  from  it  McCor- 
mick  undoubtedly  got  his  idea.  The  successful  manu- 
facturers are  very  rarely  the  original  inventors.  Wil- 
liam Hoag  ran  a  Hussey  reaper  in  1844.  In  1845,  the 
McCormick  was  introduced.  Mr.  McCormick  himself 
came  around  and  solicited  farmers  to  take  them.  J.  R. 
Bullard  and  Zenas  McEwen  each  took  one.  In  1846, 
Ezra  McEwen  manufactured  an  improved  reaper  at  Lis- 
bon, and  was  followed  by  Keith  &  Stevens  in  1847. 

In  1848,  several  were  made  at  a  shop  at  Long  Grove, 
on  the  Oswego  road,  southeast  of  Yorkville.  In  1846, 
the  self-rake  was  introduced  by  Smith  of  Batavia,  but 
the  machinery  was  too  complex  to  work  well.^In  1853, 
Messenger  &  Preshur  built  twenty  reapers  at  Newark, 
after  Green's  patent,  Ottawa,  and  they  did  good  work. 
The  following  year  Lot  Preshur  made  some  on  his  own 
account  after  the  plan  of  Rugg's  machine,  Ottawa, which 
went  before  the  horses  ;  but  this  was  soon  changed,  and 
the  team  placed  ahead.  Some  of  Rugg's  reapers  cut  a 
swath  ten  feet  wide. 


PATENTS    IN    KENDALL    COUNTY.  403 

In  mowers,  we  have  one  patent,  that  of  John  F.  Stew- 
ard, Piano,  1876,  device  to  tilt  forward  the  edge  of  the 
cutter  bar  while  passing  over  uneven  ground, 

HEADERS 

are  intended  to  cut  off  the  heads  of  grain,  leaving  the 
straw  in  the  field,  and  were  popular  when  wheat  fields 
were  large  and  the  straw  was  of  no  value.  The  first 
introduced  was  Esterley's,  from  Whitewater,  Wisconsin, 
1845.  They  were  push  machines,  and  the  curving  reel 
brought  the  grain  to  a  stationary  knife,  where  it  was 
sheared  off.  About  the  same  time,  Ezra  McEwen  pro- 
duced one  of  his  own  invention  that  operated  with  a 
sickle  and  did  good  work,  and  he  manufactured  them  in 
1848  at  Lisbon. 

Keith  &  Stevens,  in  1848,  also  manufactured  a  num- 
ber of  the  Haines'  Headers.  At  present,  however,  both 
reapers  and  headers  are  being  supplanted  by 

HARVESTERS, 

on  which  the  grain  is  bound  as  it  is  cut. 

The  Marsh  Harvester  was  begun  at  Piano  in  1860, 
and  at  least  five  of  the  patenis  which  cover  it  belong  to 
this  county.  N.  H.  Kennedy  and  F.  J.  Coddington, 
1877,  two  patents,  both  on  the  elevator,  designed  to  sim- 
plify the  process.  Coddington  &  Steward,  1876,  raising 
and  lowering  device,  used  extensively.  John  F.  Stew- 
ard, 1876,  adjustable  reel,  used  on  all  Piano  harvesters. 
The  same,  1876,  device  for  retaining  the  binder's  plat- 
form on  a  level,  whatever  the  adjustment  or  dip  of  the 
harvester. 

McEwen's  Harvester,  Lisbon,  was  patented  1873. 
His  improvements  were  :    First,  the  first  stationary  bind- 


404  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

er's  platform.  In  all  previous  machines  the  platform 
was  raised  and  lowered  wuth  the  cutter  bar.  Second, 
graded  belts  in  the  elevator,  by  which  the  butts  of  the 
grain  are  moved  faster  than  the  heads.  In  previous 
machines  the  heads  came  up  first.  Third,  an  upper  self- 
adjustable  elevator,  by  which  the  grain,  whether  light  or 
heavy,  is  kept  in  place  on  the  lower  elevator.  They  are 
manufactured  at  Sheridan. 

The  latest  advance  in  harvesting  machinery  is  auto- 
matic 

BINDERS.. 

J.  Heath,  of  Warren,  Ohio,  1850,  was  the  first  inventor. 
He  bound  with  twine.  A.  Sherwood's  machine  was  the 
first  to  bind  with  wire.  Paper  and  straw  are  also  used, 
though  not  with  the  same  success. 

The  Gordon  binder  is  manufactured  at  the  Piano 
works,  and  two  thousand  are  being  built  for  next  season. 
No  less  than  ten  patents  which  cover  it  belong  to  this 
county,  and  have  been  granted  within  two  years.  E.  H. 
Gammon  has  two  patents  for  general  improvements,  and 
two  others  for  the  same,  in  connection  with  R.  H.  Dixon 
and  J.  F.  Steward.  Mr.  Steward  has  two  patents  for 
general  improvements.  Also  a  device  for  delivering  the 
grain  into  the  automatic  binder,  one  patent ;  a  device  for 
adjusting  the  position  of  the  band  upon  the  bundle,  two 
patents  ;  a  device  for  more  perfectly  twisting  the  wire 
after  it  has  passed  around  the  bundle.  The  last  is  an 
important  and  profitable  invention. 

We  have  three  inventions  in  the  way  of 

HORSE    RAKES. 

Sylvester  E.  Ament,  Fox,  1864,  revolving  horse   rake. 


PATENTS    IN    KENDALL    COUNTY.  405 

four  improvements.  S.  E.  Ament,  1867,  horse  rake  on 
runners,  thirteen  improvements.  Edward  G.  Ament, 
Newark,  1875,  horse  rake  still  further  improved — re- 
markable for  the  simplicity  of  its  arrangement  and  per- 
fection of  its  work. 

DITCHER   AND    SCRAPERS. 

Albert  Keith,  Lisbon,  1862,  grading  and  excavating 
machine  ;  made  adjustable  to  greater  or  less  depth,  and 
to  uneven  ground.  Jacob  Zimmerman,  Oswego,  im- 
proved road  scraper.  Frederick  Post,  Little  Rock,  1868, 
riding  scraper  ;  the  load  can  be  carried  any  distance.  E. 
G.  Ament,  1876,  barn  yard  scraper ;  designed  to  clean 
up  barn  yards  and  cow  yards  without  gouging  the  sur- 
face, and  to  save  its  cost  once  in  cleanliness  and  once  in 
manure  each  year. 

WIRE   FENCE. 

Elbridge  Gale,  Yorkville,  1872,  portable  wire  fence, 
made  in  sections  and  looped  together.  A.  V.  Wormley, 
Oswego,  1873,  barb  fence  ;  the  barbs  are  worked  in  with 
a  patent  twist  between  three  small  wires,  making  a  barbed 
cable.  Considerable  quantities  are  manufactured.  Ham- 
ilton Cherry  and  Sheldon  H.  Wheeler,  Na-au-say,  1877, 
improved  barb  fence.  G.  G.  Hunt,  Bristol,  1877,  im- 
proved barb  fence.  He  has  four  separate  kinds,  all 
jointed  and  made  in  sections  of  any  length :  (1)  Two 
wires,  twisted,  and  wire  barb ;  (2)  four  pointed  barb  and 
single  wire ;  (3)  twisted  wire  and  steel  barb  ;  (4)  single 
wire  and  two  steel  barbs. 

STOVES. 

Our  stove  inventor  is  George  G.  Hunt,  of  Bristol 
Station.     His  patents  are  at  the  foundation  of  the  "  Du- 


406  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

buque,"  ''Dacotah,"  and  other  base  burners,  and  he 
receives  an  important  royalty  therefrom.  The  beginning 
of  his  invention  was  in  1863,  while  residing  at  Quincy. 
This  was  followed  at  Bristol,  in  1870,  by  the  device  for 
illuminating  through  mica  windows,  and  in  1871  by 
the  movable  coal  reservoir.  He  has  altogether  five  stove 
patents.  Burdett  &  Smith,  Troy,  New  York,  own  a  one- 
half  interest  in  them. 

John  F.  Steward  is  our  inventor  in 

STEREOSCOPES, 

having  two  patents,  both  dating  1875.  First,  for  ad- 
justable eye  glasses,  by  which  differences  in  vision  are 
overcome.  Second,  a  revolving  stereoscope,  capable  of 
showing  three  hundred  pictures.  The  same,  Avith  his 
brother,  Aurelius  Steward,  has  made  several  improve- 
ments in 

SEWING   AND    KNITTING    MACHINES. 

A.  Steward.  1867,  ruffling  attachment  for  sewing  ma- 
chines, by  which  the  feed  bar  feeds  the  cloth  faster  on 
one  side  than  on  the  other ;  sold  for  two  thousand  dol- 
lars. Same,  1872,  improvement  in  sewing  machines. 
J.  F.  Steward,  1867,  knot  indicator  for  knitting  machines,. 

WATER    WHEELS. 

Walter  Aitken,  Newark,  1862,  a  current  wheel,  de- 
signed to  rise  and  fall  with  the  water.     Frederick  Post, 

1867,  water   wheel    with    additional    buckets.       Same, 

1868,  adjustable  lower  wheel  on  the  shaft,  which  can  be 
regulated  accordinfj;  to  the  amount  of  water.  Walter 
Aitken,  1863.  improved  propelling  apparatus  for  steam- 
ers. 

TRANSPORTATION  CONVEYOR. 

H.  W.  Farley,  Oswego,  1876,  continuous  transports- 


PATENTS    IN    KENDALL    COUNTY.  407 

tion  by  stationary  power,  of  coal,  grain,  or  other  freight. 
A  section  with  a  belt  one  thousand  feet  long  has  been 
constructed  and  successfullv  tested.  It  can  be  built  for 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  a  mile,  and  is  claimed  to  move 
freight  for  one-fifth  the  cost  of  teaming.  This  is  an 
important  invention. 

STORE    FURNITURE. 

Oil  Dispenser,  David  M.  Haight,  Oswego,  1876.  The 
oil  is  taken  from  the  barrel  without  a  faucet.  Oil  Pump 
and  Measure,  M.  C.  Richards,  Oswego,  1876.  Works 
on  the  siphon  principle,  and  measures  out  the  exact 
amount  of  oil  wanted  from  the  upper  side  of  the  barrel. 

C.  G.  Mororan,  Bristol  Station,  1875.  Glycerine  Dis- 
penser,  for  druggists'  use  in  retailing  heavy  oils.  Can 
be  guaged  to  half  an  ounce  and  upwards  at  each  turn  of 
the  crank. 

Rope  Reel,  D.  M.  Haight,  1877  ;  a  device  whereby 
rope  or  cordage  is  retailed  from  the  original  coil  without 
unwinding  or  tangling. 

Thread  Show  Case,  A.  Steward,  1868.  The  spools 
are  placed  on  inclined  shelves,  whereby  those  in  the 
rear  supply  the  places  of  those  removed  in  front.  The 
case  is  in  general  use,  and  pays  a  royalty  of  twenty-five 
cents  each  to  the  inventor. 

A.  Steward,  1862,  combined  yard  measure  and  clip- 
ping scissors  for  retail  merchants. 

RAILROAD    IMPROVEMENTS. 

G.  G.  Hunt,  1864,  device  by  which  car  wheels  can 
be  removed  without  disturbing  the  trucks.  Same,  1864, 
oil  reservoir  and  wick  for  journal  boxes,  by  which  they 
may   run  a  year  without  oiling.       Same,   1864,   steam 


408  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

valve,  adjustable  to  engines  of  diiferent  power.       Same, 

1863,  smoke  burner  for  locomotive  furnaces,  by  which 
soft  coal  makes  no  more  smoke  than  drv  wood.      Same, 

1864,  smoke  burner  for  tubular  boiler.  Same,  1864, 
car  axle,  by  which  one  wheel  can  turn  faster  than  the 
other  around  curves,  instead  of  slipping,  as  on  the  old 
plan. 

G.  H.  Carver,  Piano,  1877,  device  for  catching  mail 
bag  by  fast  trains. 

I.  S.  Doten,  Bristol  Station,  1876,  express  and  bag- 
gage truck,  level  with  the  car  floor,  by  which  heavy 
articles  are  more  easily  handled. 

MISCELLANEOUS    INVENTIONS. 

G.  G.  Hunt,  1855,  arrangement  of  reed  board  for 
two  sets  of  reeds  in  cabinet  organs.  Same,  1864,  double 
acting  churn,  by  which  two  dashers  move  in  opposite 
directions. 

V.  R.  David,  Newark,  1857,  improved  lock. 

E.  G.  Ament,  Oswego,  1864,  portable  capstan,  on 
wheels,  with  nine  improvements. 

M.  C.  Chapman,  Oswego,  1865,  improved  thill  coup- 
ling. 

Frederick  Post,  Little  Rock,  1868,  pulverizing  land 
roller,  made  with  grooves  and  movable  teeth  and  marker 
attachment. 

Oliver  Herbert,  Oswego,  improved  carriage  seat  spring. 

V.  R.  David,  Newark,  improved  washing  machine. 

J.  F.  Hollister,  Piano,  1868,  globe  joint  connecting 
the  pitman  with  the  sickle  in  harvesters.  Extensively 
used. 


KENDALL    COUNTY    PUBLICATIONS.  409 

J.  F.  HoUister,  1871,  improvement  in  joining  the  side 
and  end  timbers  of  bedsteads. 

J.  F.  Hollister,  1873,  improved  machines  for  cutting 
and  punching  leather  straps. 

Ezra  McEwen,  Lisbon,  1876,  double  cylinder  corn 
sheller,  with  roller  to  keep  the  corn  on  the  cylinder.  It 
does  not  break  the  cob  or  cut  the  corn.  Manufactured 
by  a  St.  Louis  firm. 

J.  B.  Poage,  Oswego,  1876,  combined  chair  and  baby 
walker  ;  a  fine  invention  for  the  little  folks. 

A.  C,  Gable,  Yorkville,  1876,  improved  sod  cutter. 

H.  J.  Brimhall,  Jr.,  Millington,  1875,  cylinder  wind 
mill. 

I.  S.  Doten,  1877,  spectacles;  revolving  glasses  with 
diiferent  foci,  so  that  one  pair  will  answer  for  walking  or 
reading. 

Clinton  Merrick,  Yorkville,  1877,  bed  spring  with 
raised  head  for  invalids. 

Nathan  Alden,  Bristol,  1877,  honey  extractor. 

E.  G.  Ament,  Newark,  1867,  corn  shocker.  Two 
men  and  a  team  will  shock  four  acres  a  day  and  put  the 
shocks  close  together  in  rows  thirty  rods  apart,  thus 
leaving  the  ground  free  for  plowing. 

PUBLICATIONS. 

From  the  Mormon  press.  Piano  :  Book  of  Doctrine 
and  Covenants,  1865.  Bible  and  Testament,  printed 
from  plates,  1867.  Saint's  Harp — hymn  book,  1870. 
Book  of  Mormon,  1874.  Hesperius  ;  book  of  poems  of 
D.  H.  Smith,  1875.  Discussion,  between  Rev.  Shinn 
and  Elder  Forscutt,  1875.  Manual  and  Rules  of  Order, 
1876. 

27 


410 


HISTORY   OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 


^Tiscellaneous  works  :  Immaterial  Elements,  by  E.  D. 
Sargent,  M.  D.  Bristol,  1873.  History  of  the  Thirty- 
Sixth  Ren;iment,  by  Lyman  G.  Bennett,  of  Yorkville, 
1876. 


CHAPTER  LV. 


OUR  NEIGHBORS. 

'T  IS  not  intended  in  these  chapters  to  give 
a  complete  list  of  all  the  animals  and 
plants  found  in  Kendall  county.  It 
could  as  well  be  done  as  not,  for  the  list 
is  made,  but  the  names  alone  of  every 
species  would  more  than  fill  up  the 
allotted  space.  The  object  is  simply  to 
direct  young  readers  especially  to  the  treasures  that  lie 
around  them,  and  incite  them  to  a  better  acquaintance 
with  their  fellow  inhabitants  of  the  air  and  the  soil. 
Hugh  Miller  began  to  be  a  geologist  by  studying  the 
stones  in  the  quarries  where  he  worked  ;  and  there  are 
few  who  would  not  in  spite  of  themselves  become  enthu- 
siastic naturalists  by  studying  the  weeds  and  flowers 
that  grow  by  the  roadside,  and  the  living  creatures  that 
creep,  or  walk,  or  fly  in  grove  and  meadow.  A  few 
dollars  spent  in  books,  and  a  few  hours'  study  at  odd 
times  in  mastering:  the  classification  and  scientific  names, 


THE    A^^IMAL    FAMILIES.  411 

and  the  rest  will  be  a  continuous  delight.  As  each  new 
plant  or  insect  is  added  to  the  collection,  the  cry  will 
be:  ''Ah,  I  know  you!  you  belong  to  such  a  family." 
In  our  enumeration  we  will  begin  with  ruminants,  and 
with  the 

OX  FAMILY, 

of  which  the  bison  is  our  only  wild  representative.  It 
is  commonly  called  the  buffalo,  but  true  buffalos  are 
found  only  in  eastern  countries.  Bisons  were  formerly 
here  in  immense  droves,  and  forty  years  ago,  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  county,  their  bones  could  be  picked  up 
by  the  wagon  load.  They  are  the  same  genus  as  the 
German  aurochs. 

DEER    FAMILY. 

The  elk,  called  moose  and  wapiti  by  the  Indians,  dis- 
appeared from  this  locality  about  1818,  but  deer  are 
still  occasionally  found.  Our  species  is  the  Virginia 
deer — distinct  from  the  black-tailed  deer  of  Missouri, 
the  stag  or  red  deer,  and  flillow  or  yellow  deer  of  Eng- 
land, the  rein-deer  of  cold  countries,  &c. 

BEAR    FAMILY. 

Badgers  were  here  in  an  early  day,  but  are  now 
extinct,  while  raccoons  are  as  plenty  as  of  old. 

DOG  FAMILY. 
Prairie  wolves  were  at  first  very  abundant,  then 
became  scarce,  and  are  now  becoming  more  numerous 
again.  They  are  the  coyotes  of  the  Mexicans,  and  allied 
to  the  jackal.  The  larger  gray  wolf  has  been  seen  here. 
The  red  fox  burrows  here,  but  they  are  not  numerous. 
The  gray  or  southern  fox  also  occasionally  puts  in  an 
appearance. 


412  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

The  wild  cat  and  lynx,  belonging  to  the  cat  family, 
have  both  been  known  here. 

WEASEL   FAMILY. 

The  common  weasel  is  brown  in  summer  and  white  in 
winter.  The  mink  is  his  cousin.  The  otter  was  once 
here,  and  their  slides  (they  had  a  practice  of  sliding 
down  hill)  were  found  on  the  banks  of  the  streams. 
The  skunk  gets  his  classical  name,  Mephitis^  from  his 
odor.  He  is  in  zoology  what  carbonic  acid  gas  is  in 
chemistry.  Skunks  are  said  to  be  peculiarly  subject  to 
hydrophobia,  at  which  times  they  are  unable  to  emit 
their  odor,  but  their  bite  is  fatal.  Commonly,  they  are 
harmless,  and  even  useful  in  destroying  grubs,  &c. 

The  opossum,  belonging  to  the  Marsupials,  has  been 
found  here. 

SQUIRREL  FAMILY. 
The  common  fox  squirrel,  the  gray  or  black  squirrel, 
(for  the  color  varies)  and  the  flying  squirrel,  are  all 
abundant  here.  The  last  is  most  active  in  the  night. 
The  chipmuk  is  a  lively  little  fellow,  known  to  every- 
body. The  striped  prairie  squirrel  ought  to  give  up  his 
name  of  gopher,  as  the  true  gopher  is  a  larger  animal, 
and  is  found  further  west;  the  same  may  be  said  of  the 
gray  gopher.  They  are  beautiful  animals,  with  only  the 
one  bad  trait,  of  not  being  able  to  understand  that  they 
should  not  dig  up  seed  corn.  The  woodchuck,  or  ground 
hog,  emigrated  here  after  the  whites  came.  In  early 
days  he  was  accounted  good  eating,  and  his  hide  was 
made  into  whip-lashes  and  purses.  "  The  squirrel  and 
gopher  tribe  pass  the  winter  in  a  semi-torpid  state. 
They  roll  themselves  up  with  the  head  under  the  breast. 


ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS.  413 

and  are  as  cold  as  if  dead ;  but  heat  quickly  revives 
them.  The  chipmuk  alone  is  said  to  lay  up  a  winter's 
stock  of  provisions.  The  beaver  is  a  native  of  our 
county,  but  the  trappers  extirpated  him  many  years  ago. 

RAT   AND    MOUSE    FAMILY. 

The  brown  rat  and  house  mouse  are  of  foreign  extrac- 
tion, and  follow  the  industrious  white  man  wherever  he 
goes.  There  were  none  here  when  the  country  was  first 
settled.  The  muskrat,  or  musquash,  is  allied  to  the 
beaver,  and  is  still  common.  The  meadow  mouse  is 
abundant  everywhere.  The  long  haired  meadow  mouse 
is  less  often  seen.  The  white  footed  wood  mouse  may 
be  distinguished  from  the  house  mouse  by  its  white  belly 
and  feet.  The  jumping  mouse  has  long  hind  legs,  and 
travels  like  the  kangaroo,  by  jumps.  It  lives  in  the 
woods.  The  dormouse  lives  on  trees,  and  is  allied  to  the 
squirrels.     The 

MOLE    FAMILY 

comprises  the  mole  proper,  a  soft  furred  little  animal  the 
size  of  a  small  rat,  that  always  lives  under  ground  ;  and 
the  long  snouted  shrew  mouse.  The  latter  is  much  the 
more  common. 

The  bat  family  is  represented  by  the  common  black 
bat  and  the  larger  gray  bat.  Bats  and  moles  live  on  in- 
sects and  grubs.     Of 

BIRDS 

we  have  a  great  variety,  and  they  form  one  of  the  most 
interesting  parts  of  the  animal  kingdom.  They  have 
been  divided  according  to  their  nests  into  miners,  as  the 
bank  swallows ;  masons,  as  barn  swallows  ;  cementers, 
as  chimney  swallows  ;    carpenters,  as  woodpeckers  and 


414  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

nut-hatches  ;  weavers,  as  the  oriole ;  tailors,  as  the  blue 
yellow  back  warbler ;  basket  makers,  as  the  vireos  and 
red  winged  blackbird  ;  felt  makers,  as  the  gold  finch  and 
hummingbirds  ;  platform  builders,  as  hawks  and  pigeons  ; 
ground  builders,  as  ducks,  &c.  ;  dome  builders,  as  the 
quail  and  meadow  lark  ;  those  which  make  no  nest,  as 
the  nighthawk  and  whip-poor-will,  and  those  which  lay 
their  eggs  in  the  nests  of  other  birds,  as  the  cuckoo  and 
cow  blackbird.  But  it  is  more  common  to  divide  them 
according  to  their  general  habits  into  the  following  orders : 

BIRDS  OF  PREY. 

Of  the  vulture  family,  the  ungainly  and  bare-headed 
turkey  buzzard  is  the  only  representative  that  comes  to 
our  borders.  The  falcon  family  comprise  the  eagles  and 
hawks.  The  bald  eagle  has  been  known  to  nest  here. 
The  red- tailed  buzzard  is  our  common  hen  hawk.  Then 
we  have  the  rough-legged  hawk,  with  feathered  legs ; 
the  band-tailed  hawk,  black  hawk,  marsh  hawk,  pigeon 
hawk,  red-shouldered  hawk,  swallow  tailed  hawk,  or 
kite,  and  fish  hawk,  or  osprey.  In  the  owl  family  we 
have  the  screech  owl,  or  barn  owl,  great  horned  owl, 
long-eared  owl,  snowy  owl,  and  day  owl. 

CLIMBERS. 

These  have  their  toes  in  pairs — two  before  and  two 
behind.  There  are  two  cuckoos,  distinguished  by  their 
bills — one  being  yellow  and  the  other  black.  The  dif- 
ferent woodpeckers  are  known  as  red-headed,  red-breasted, 
yellow-bellied,  hairy,  and  golden-winged.  The  last  one 
is  called  a  "sap-sucker,"  because  he  pecks  holes  around 
trees,   for   insect   traps.      He  does  not  mean  to  touch  a 


CLIMBERS   AND    PERCHERS.  415 

drop  of  sap,  but  comes  around  by  and  by,  like  a  fisher- 
man looking  after  his  nets,  and  picks  enough  insects  out 
of  the  bark  holes  to  make  him  a  meal.  He  is  a  well 
meaning  fellow,  but  does  not  always  exercise  good  judg- 
ment as  to  how  near  together  his  baits  may  be,  and  now 
and  then  is  in  danger  of  girdling  the  tree. 

PERCHERS. 

The  ruby-throated  humming  bird  (our  only  species), 
gums  lichens  together  for  its  nest;  and  the  swift,  or 
chimney  swallow,  does  the  same  with  straws  and  mud. 
It  is  distinguished  from  other  swallows  by  shorter  toes 
and  tail  deeper  forked.  The  whippoorwill  is  often  heard 
but  seldom  seen.  He  rarely  ventures  abroad  until  dusk 
and  then  skims  along  noiselessly,  taking  his  supper  of 
moths  and  flies.  He  is  nearly  related  to  the  night  hawk, 
which  makes  the  boominc'  sound  in  his  evenino;  descents. 
The  latter  bird  is  distinguished  by  a  white  line  under  the 
throat.  Both  were  anciently  called  goat-suckers,  from 
the  notion  that  they  milked  the  goats  and  cows ;  but  it 
was  flies,  not  milk  they  were  after.  The  kingfisher 
makes  her  nest  in  a  hollow  stump  or  tree  by  the  water 
side,  but  the  ancient  Greeks  invented  the  pretty  fancy 
that  she  nested  on  the  sea  and  the  waves  were  quiet  until 
her  young  were  hatched.  And  so  the  bird's  Greek  name, 
Halcyon,  came  to  mean  peace.  The  kingbird  is  known 
as  the  tyrant  flycatcher,  for  his  courage  in  attacking 
hawks  and  large  birds  when  they  come  near  his  nest. 
Two  crested  flycatchers  and  two  peewees  belong  to  the 
same  family.  The  peewee  is  called  the  phebe  bird. 
Robin  redbreast  is  the  center  of  the  robin  family — com- 
prising, besides,  the  bluebird,  two  wrens,  and  two  very 


416  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

shy  thrushes,  the  wood  thrush  and  hermit  thrush.  The 
true  thrush,  or  mocking  bird  family,  comprise  that  musi- 
cal prodigy,  the  "  brown  thrasher,"  as  the  boys  call  him, 
the  prying  little  cat  bird,  the  pugnacious  house  wren, 
and  one  or  two  wren  cousins.  They  are  the  smallest  of 
the  family,  and  make  an  astonishing  amount  of  music 
for  so  small  a  body.  Next  to  the  thrush  and  the  wren 
and  the  robin  for  song,  come  the  numerous  warbler  fam- 
ily, comprising  the  smaller  song  birds.  They  are  mostly 
distinguished  by  their  colors,  as  yellow-throated,  black- 
headed,  black  and  yellow,  yellow-rump,  bay-breasted, 
black-throated,  blue,  yellow-backed,  chestnut-sided,  yel- 
low-breasted, blue-winged,  golden-winged,  orange- 
crowned,  &c.  Some  are  creepers,  viz,  little  wood  birds 
that  creep  around  the  trunks  of  trees.  Also  the  red- 
start, a  little  chit  as  large  as  a  wren  ;  the  scarlet  tana- 
ger,  red  with  black  wings,  and  the  summer  red-bird.  In 
the  swallow  family  are  the  bank  swallows  and  martins. 
The  butcher  bird  hangs  up  grasshoppers  to  dry  on 
thorns.  The  vireos  are  fly-catchers,  plain  little  birds 
with  a  tiny  hook  on  the  end  of  the  bill.  The  nut-hatches 
are  wood  birds,  like  the  creepers,  only  they  run  up  and 
down  trees  without  hopping,  and  peck  at  the  bark  like 
woodpeckers.  The  titmouse  is  a  small  bird,  like  a  dumpy 
little  wren.  The  finch  family  comprise  the  sparrows  and 
buntings.  They  all  have  short,  thick  bills,  for  crushing 
seeds.  The  several  sorts  of  sparrows  are  distinguished 
by  minute  difl'erences  in  color  or  habits.  The  name 
bunting  means  mottled  with  dark  spots,  like  millet  seed. 
The  black-throated  bunting  is  one  of  the  commonest  birds 
in  our  pastures,  and  is  familiar  to  everyone.       The  bob- 


SCRATCHERS   AND   WADERS.  417 

olink  is  called  the  rice  bunting  at  the  south.  He  is  the 
size  of  a  snowbird,  with  black  breast  and  gray  back,  but 
is  not  often  seen  here.  In  the  bobolink  family  are  also 
the  meadow  lark,  the  orioles,  the  red-winged  blackbird, 
the  cow  blackbird,  and  the  common  blackbird,  or,  prop- 
erly, rusty  and  purple-necked  grackles, — so  called  from 
their  noise,  "  gra,  gra."  The  crow,  too,  got  his  name 
from  his  note.  He  is  a  great  glutton,  and  his  moral 
sense  is  not  cultivated,  but  he  is  useful  as  a  scavenger. 
The  blue  jay  is  a  lively  and  handsome  relation  of  his. 

SCRATCHERS. 

The  friendly  barn  dove  and  the  pensive  and  beautiful 
mourning  dove  are  familiar  to  all.  The  latter  is  allied 
to  the  turtle  dove  of  the  Scriptures.  The  wild  pigeon 
is  migratory,  and  does  not  stay  with  us.  Prairie  chick- 
ens are  also  familiar  birds.  Also  the  quail ;  said  to  be 
the  only  bird  that  will  eat  the  chinch  bug,  and  if  that  be 
true,  farmers  have  a  particular  interest  in  his  preserva- 
tion. Wild  turkeys  were  here  in  abundance  when  the 
country  was  new,  but  they  are  now  rarely  seen. 

WADERS. 

Largest  of  all  the  waders  is  the  well  known  sand  hill 
crane.  Then  comes  the  great  blue  heron,  four  feet  high ; 
the  white  heron,  three  feet  high,  and  the  green  heron, 
fourteen  inches  high.  Cranes  differ  from  herons  in  hav- 
ing the  hind  toe  placed  higher  on  the  leg  than  the  front 
ones.  The  bittern  is  a  brown  bird  with  shorter  legs  and 
a  heavier  neck  than  the  heron.  The  name  means  "bull 
voiced."  It  is  also  called  stake  driver.  It  lives  about 
ponds,  and  ventures  abroad  only  during  the  night.     On 


418  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

account  of  its  mysterious  habits  and  deep  cry,  it  was  re- 
garded with  superstitious  fear  in  olden  times.  Some  of 
the  later  philosophers  believed  its  cry  was  produced  by 
putting  its  bill  into  a  hollow  reed !  The  plover  family 
includes  two  or  three  plovers  and  the  killdeer.  The 
plover  differs  from  the  snipe  in  its  shorter  bill  and  having 
no  hind  toe.  There  are  several  species  of  snipes,  cur- 
lews, and  rails ;  generally  found  about  marshes. 

SWIMMERS. 

In  the  Goose  family  we  have  the  Canada,  or  common 
wild  goose,  and  the  brant,  or  white  fronted  goose — a 
white  ring  at  the  base  of  the  bill.  In  the  Duck  family 
we  have  eight  or  ten  species  of  wild  ducks,  all  migratory. 
The  merganser  is  a  fish  duck  with  saw  teeth.  The 
hooded  merganser  is  a  smaller  species,  with  a  topknot, 
the  teal  is  the  smallest  of  the  ducks,  and  is  very  shy. 
It  has  a  bill  as  long  as  its  head,  while  the  bill  of  the 
widgeon,  another  species,  is  but  half  as  long  as  its  head. 
The  little  grebe,  of  the  loon  family,  is  sometimes  seen 
here.  His  feet  grow  out  of  his  back,  making  him  look 
like  a  diminutive  penguin.  Our  total  list  of  birds  num- 
ber nearly  two  hundred  separate  species. 

REPTILES. 

In  the  turtle  family,  the  painted  turtle  and  snapping 
turtle  in  water,  and  the  prairie  tortoise  on  land,  are 
common.  Among  lizards,  the  blue-tailed  skink,  and 
other  small  species,  are  occasionally  found ;  but  they 
are  harmless.  The  common  green  frog  is  handsome  and 
agile ;  the  toad  is  neither  ;  yet  warty  and  homely  as  he 
may  be,  he  is  useful,  for  when  the  farmer's  day's 
work   is   done,  out  comes  Mr.  Toad  and  carries  on  the 


SNAKES,    FISHES    AND   INSECTS.  419 


war  against  the  bugs  and  flies  as  long  as  his  brilliant 
eye  can  see. 

SNAKES. 

We  have  but  four  poisonous  serpents  ;  the  copperhead, 
and  three  species  of  rattlesnake,  and  all  are  nearly 
extinct.  None  of  the  others  have  poison  fangs.  The 
largest  is  the  water  snake,  or  milk  snake,  because  accused 
by  our  forefathers  of  sucking  the  cows.  The  smallest 
are  the  little  green  snakes  of  summer  and  the  gray 
snakes  of  autumn.  Next  larger  are  the  striped  or  garter 
snakes ;  then  the  adders,  &c.  The  name  of  adder  has 
a  venomous  sound,  because  the  poisonous  vipers  of 
Europe  are  so  called ;  but  no  such  viper  is  known  in 
this  county.  All  our  snakes  but  the  four  poisonous 
ones  are  comprised  in  the  family  Coluber,  Latin  for  ser- 
pent, and  are  marked  by  the  flattened  head,  no  poison 
fangs,  and  a  double  row  of  scales  under  the  tail. 

FISHES 

are  divided  into  spine-finncd  and  soft-finned.  All  our 
common  river  fish,  but  perch  and  bass,  belong  in  the 
last  order :  suckers,  sunfish,  catfish,  pike,  pickerel,  shin- 
ers, red-horse,  &c.  The  muscalonge  is  a  large  kind  of 
pike,  sometimes  caught  in  Fox  river.  Specimens  have 
weighed  thirty  pounds. 

INSECTS. 

Our  stock  can  only  be  outlined.  One-fourth  of  them 
are  included  in  the  hymenoptera,  or  insects  whose  wings 
— for  they  are  classified  by  their  wings — are  a  transpar- 
ent membrane.  Here  are  bees,  wasps,  hornets,  ichneu- 
mon flies,  &c.  The  latter  are  the  Ishmaels  of  the  insect 
world.      Mr.  B.   D.  Walsh  says  :    "  The  spider  preys 


420  HISTORY    OF   KENDALL    COUNTY. 

upon  the  fly,  the  mudwasp  preys  upon  the  spider,  and  the 
ichneumon  fly  preys  upon  the  mudwasp.  So  skillfully 
is  the  whole  system  adjusted — a  check  here  and  a  check 
there,  and  a  counter-check  upon  both  in  another  place — 
that  in  a  state  of  nature  it  is  only  in  some  special-  sea- 
sons that  a  particular  insect  becomes  unduly  numerous." 

Dragon  flies  and  May  flies  belong  to  the  nerve-winged 
order,  neuroptera.  The  former  is  called  snake-feeder, 
musquito  hawk  and  devil's  darning-needle.  A  young 
lady  teacher  once  on  a  time  cleaned  her  school-room  of 
flies  by  shutting  a  dragon  fly  in  the  room. 

Butterflies  and  moths  belong  to  the  scaly-winged 
order,  lepidoptera,  and  there  are  a  thousand  different 
kinds  in  the  Northern  States  alone.  Butterflies  are  the 
humming  birds  of  their  race.  They  fly  by  day,  while 
the  moths  fly  by  night.  The  butterfly  caterpillars  always 
have  sixteen  legs.  This  metamorphosis  of  a  groveling 
worm  having  jaws,  into  a  soaring  butterfly  with  no  jaws, 
but  a  tongue  to  feed  on  the  nectar  of  flowers,  is  a  won- 
derful figure  of  the  resurrection.  The  Greeks  noticed 
it,  and  the  same  word — Psyche — signified  either  a  soul 
or  a  butterfly.  Flies,  gnats  and  musquitos  belong  to 
the  two-winged  order,  diptera ;  fleas,  also,  of  which  the 
old  poet  Tusser  thus  writes : 

"  While  wormwood  hath  seed  get  a  handful  or  twaine, 
To  save  against  March  to  make  flea  to  refraine  ; 
Where  chamber  is  sweeped  and  wormwood  is  strown, 
No  flea  for  his  life  dare  abide  to  be  known." 

The  sheath  winged  order,  coleoptera^  embrace  the 
beetles,  lady  bugs,  fire  flies,  &c.  The  scarabee,  or  roll- 
ing beetle,  so  common  along  our  roads,  is  the  famous 
sacred  beetle,  worshipped  by  the  Egyptians.     Its  thirty 


BEETLES   AND    SPIDERS.  421 

toes  were  to  them  a  symbol  of  the  month  ;  its  rolling  ball 
a  symbol  of  the  revolving  sun,  &c.  The  burying  beetle, 
with  its  fetid  smell,  is  one  of  the  most  useful  we  have. 
Spring  beetles,  water  beetles,  ground  beetles,  death 
watches,  mealworms,  curculios,  &c.,  belong  here.  Some 
of  the  water  beetles  are  known  as  "whirligigs,"  and  are 
said  to  live  on  dead  insects  found  floating  on  the  surface 
of  the  water. 

In  the  hemipte7'a  or  half  winged  order  we  have  harvest 
flies,  tree  hoppers,  plant  lice,  squash  bugs,  and  other  out- 
rageous creatures.  The  grasshopper,  cricket  and  locust 
families  are  the  orthoptera^  or  straight  winged.  The 
katydid  is  the  little  sister  of  the  great  green  grasshop- 
per. The  locust  family  have  shorter  antennse  or  feelers. 
All  these  orders  of  insects  are  represented  with  us,  and 
some  of  them,  most  injurious  to  vegetation,  are  well 
worth  the  study  of  every  farmer  :  The  tree  borers,  with 
their  sharp  cutting  mandibles ;  the  curculio  and  weevil 
beetles  with  their  minute  horny  beaks  ;  those  skunks  of 
the  insect  world,  the  chinch  bug  ;  the  voracious  army 
worm  and  cut  worm  moths — the  two  grubs  are  much 
alike,  but  the  cut  worm  has  little  shining  black  dots, 
each  armed  with  a  hair. 

The  order  of  spiders,  arac^mc^a,  include  the  spiders 
proper,  ticks,  &c.,  down  to  garden   mites,  cheese  mites, 
'and  annoying  little  parasites  of  many  kinds.     True  to 
their  head,  the  spider,  they  are  every  one  of  them  rapa- 
cious and  devouring. 

Our  land  crabs  are  in  the  order  of  decapods,  or  ten 
footed,  and  our  snails,  and  slimy  but  gentle  and  harm- 
less little  slugs  found  in  gardens  and  cellars,  are  gastero- 


422 


HISTORY    OF    KENDALL  COUNTY. 


pods,  or  Stomach  footed.  Among  worms  proper,  the 
most  common  is  the  useful  and  defenceless  little  earth- 
worm which  the  boys  use  for  bait.  Below  all  this  is  the 
vast  field  of  life  which  can  only  be  traversed  with  the 
microscope,  but  which  well  repays  the  labor  of  the  in- 
vestigator. 


CHAPTER  LVI. 


OUR    PLANT    LIFE. 

[OUNTY  FAIRS  are  meetings  of  what  is  in 
part  our  botanical  society,  with  special  ref- 
erence to  cultivated  grains,  grasses  and 
flowers :  but  in  this  chapter  it  is  intended 
to  treat  mostlv  of  our  wild  or  natural  vari- 
eties.  Our  own  agricultural  society,  it  may 
be  said,  held  its  first  meeting  at  Newark  in 
the  fall  of  1853.  Officers :  President,  J.  W.  Mason  ; 
Vice  Presidents,  L.  B.  Judson  and  William  Townsend  ; 
Recording  Secretary,  J.  J.  Cole;  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary, A.  M.  Sweetland ;  Treasurer,  Isaac  Beebe.  The 
annual  oration  was  delivered  in  the  Baptist  Church  by 
John  West  Mason. 

TREES 

we  have  from  the  soft  basswood,  called  linden  in  Europe,  to 
the  hard  ironwood  or  hornbeam.  Oak,  maple,  ash,  cherry, 
elm,  &c.,  are  found  all  over  the  Temperate  Zone.     Hick- 


TREES   AND   SHRUBS.  423 

ory  and  walnut  are  natives  of  this  country.  So  is  the 
Cottonwood,  thouo;h  now  found  in  other  countries.  In 
France,  hats  and  felt  goods  have  been  made  of  its  cot- 
ton, but  the  manufacture  did  not  pay.  It  is  a  brother  of 
the  common  poplar.  The  balsam  poplar,  or  balm  of 
Gilead  tree,  is  the  medical  member  of  the  family.  A 
balsam  made  from  its  buds  is  exported  under  the  name 
of  tacamahac.  The  willow  family — from  the  tall  white 
willow  to  the  bending,  basket  making,  osier  willow  of 
the  brooks — belong  to  the  same  order.  Wild  apple  and 
plum  trees  formerly  abounded  in  the  groves. 

SHRUBS. 

A  shrub  is  properly  a  low  tree  with  one  stem :  a  bush 
has  several  woody  stems  from  the  same  root.  One  of 
our  commonest  shrubs  is  the  sumach,  which  our  mothers 
used  for  brown  and  yellow  dyes,  and  which  foreigners 
are  apt  to  call  "  shoemakers'  trees."  A  variety  of  it  is 
the  dreaded  poison  ivy  which  climbs  over  fences  or  up 
the  trunks  of  trees.  It  yields  a  yellowish,  milky  juice. 
Some  persons  can  handle  it  with  impunity,  while  even 
the  smell  of  it  is  poisonous  to  others.  The  bitter  sweet 
is  another  poisonous  vine,  found  on  old  fences  or  in 
thickets.  It  keeps  its  show  of  red  berries  all  winter. 
The  woodbine,  or  wild  honeysuckle,  is  another  well- 
known  climber ;  also  the  wild  grape  vine,  which,  with 
the  abundant  raspberry,  blackberry  and  gooseberry 
bushes,  and  crabapple,  thornapple  and  plum  trees  of 
olden  time,  supplied  the  pioneers  with  fruit.  First,  in 
the  spring,  is  the  red-bud,  with  its  scarlet  buds  close  to 
the  twig  ;  the  buffalo  or  service  berry, with  white  flowers  is 
next  after.    Other  shrubs,  are  black  cohosh,  blue  cohosh, 


424  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

or  squaw-root,  leptandra,  or  black-root,  and  the  prairie 
red-root,  called  New  Jersey  tea,  because  the  spunky 
Jerseyites  used  it  for  that  purpose  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolutionary  tea  trouble  in  Boston.  But  dearest  bush 
of  all  is  the  familiar  hazel,  intwined  as  it  is  with  boy- 
hood's memories.  The  filberts  we  buy  in  the  shops  are 
cultivated  hazel  nuts. 

Of  wild  flowers  and  weeds  we  have  a  greater  number 
than  can  be  enumerated  here.  The  following  are  the 
most  common  and  most  interesting.  The  object  is  not 
to  give  a  perfect  list,  but  to  interest  local  naturalists  in 
making  collections  of  their  own. 

WOOD  PLANTS. 

Adder's  tongue,  or  rattlesnake  violet,  a  pretty  spring 
flower ;  blood-root,  a  white  flower  that  appears  very 
early  in  the  spring  on  the  hillsides :  cinquefoil,  or  five 
finger,  a  yellow  spring  flower,  in  barren  woods,  some- 
times so  thick  as  to  cover  the  ground  with  a  yellow  car- 
pet;  columbine,  a  yellowish  pink  flower,  on  hillsides, 
about  the  month  of  June  ;  Dutchman's  breeches,  or  chil- 
dren-in-the-wood,  a  white  flower,  changing  to  pink,  grow- 
ing in  the  thickets  early  in  April,  it  will  bear  trans- 
planting to  the  home  garden ;  yellow  violet,  blooms  in 
the  woods  nearly  all  summer  ;  Jack-in-the  pulpit,  or 
Indian  turnip,  a  curious  inhabitant  of  the  wood,  that 
bears  for  its  fruit  a  bunch  of  bright  scarlet  berries  ;  man- 
drake or  May-apple,  has  a  white  flower  and  ripens  in 
August ;  the  medicinal  properties  of  the  fruit  were  well 
known  to  the  Indians,  who  used  it  freely  ;  prickly  pear, 
a  thick,  fleshy  plant,  with  prickles  instead  of  leaves,  puts 
out  its   white  blossoms  in   July,  grows  on  very  stony 


PLANTS    AND    PRAIRIE    FLOWERS.  425 

land.  Other  kinds  are,  maidenhair,  Greek  valerian,  or 
bluebells,  ladies'  slipper,  or  yellow  moccasin  flower,  Sol- 
omon's seal,  hawksweed,  wood  sorrel,  brachyelytrum,  a 
grass  with  long  seed  spikes,  growing  only  on  one  side  of 
the  head. 

MARSH    PLANTS. 

Sweet  flag,  blue  flag,  and  cat's-tail  flag.  The  latter 
are  often  used  for  fishing  torches.  Wild  oats  grow  in 
ponds.  Horse  tail,  a  relic  from  the  coal  period.  Pond 
lily  ;  wild  horehound ;  jewel  weed  ;  boneset,  or  thorough- 
wort,  one  of  the  ague  specifics  of  the  first  settlers. 
Arrowhead,  flowers  in  June.  Sensitive  plant,  a  yellow 
flower  seen  along  sloughs  in  August.  Cardinal  flower, 
a  scarlet  flower  appearing  in  September.  Button  snake 
root,  a  species  of  flag  ;  the  root  steeped  in  milk  is  a  cure 
for  rattlesnake  bites.  On  the  edges  of  the  long,  narrow 
leaves  are  little  spines  like  the  rattlesnake's  tooth. 

PRAIRIE    FLOWERS. 

About  our  dooryards  we  find  chickweed  ;  the  common 
plaintain,  from  whose  humble  spikes  we  gather  canary 
seed ;  and  the  low  mallows,  which  furnished  our  play  - 
house  cheese  when  we  were  boys.  From  the  tall  mal- 
lows a  good  article  of  cloth  has  been  made,  and  was 
exhibited  at  the  Illinois  State  Fair,  in  1871.  Along 
our  roads  we  find  the  white-flowered  May  weed ;  the  taller 
smart  weed,  called  water  pepper  in  the  old  country  ;  the 
still  taller  wild  mustard ;  pigweed,  ragweed,  bindweed, 
fireweed,  ad  libitum.  Along  by  the  fences  are  sunflower 
thistles,  dandelions,  burdock,  and  other  docks,  with 
their  great  leaves  like  elephants'  ears ;  bunches  of  cat- 
nip waiting  to  be  picked  and  hung  up  in  the  woodshed, 

26 


426  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

and  maybe  a  bunch  of  tansy  ditto,  reminding  us  of  the 
Easter  tansy  puddings  among  the  queer  old  customs  of 
ancient  times.  The  ground  ivy  climbs  the  fence  ;  the 
deadly  nightshade,  with  its  black  berries,  stands  sullenly 
on  its  footstalk  in  the  edge  of  the  brush,  and  further  on 
are  noxious  purslane  and  pokeweed,  and  the  tall  mul- 
lein. The  leaves  of  the  latter  were  used  by  the  Indians 
to  staunch  blood.  Down  by  the  creek  are  the  sand 
burrs,  which  are  such  a  terror  to  barefooted  boys  going 
after  the  cows.  Out  in  the  meadow  the  first  flower  in 
bloom  was  the  little  hepatica,  and  on  a  northern  expos- 
ure, too,  and  almost  before  the  frost  was  out.  Then 
soon  came  those  humble  members  of  cultivated  families, 
the  sweet  buttercups,  sisters  of  the  bachelor's  buttons  ; 
and  the  blue  violets,  belonging  to  the  aristocratic  pansies. 
These  were  followed  by  phloxes,  foxgloves,  marigolds, 
tiger  lilies,  anemones,  cowslips,  blazing  stars,  lion's 
hearts'  and  golden  rods,  as  well  as  the  humbler  straw- 
berry, horseraint,  white  clover,  milkweed,  and  the  fra- 
grant pennyroyal.  The  lion's  heart  and  golden  rod 
are  four  or  five  feet  high,  and  bloom  about  harvest. 
Spinach,  with  its  pointed  leaves,  and  stramonium  or 
Jamestown  weed — called  ''  Jemsen  weed  " — are  tall 
plants.  The  leaves  of  the  first  are  used  for  greens,  and 
the  leaves  of  the  other  were  smoked  as  a  primitive  cure 
for  the  asthma.  Other  plants  are  the  ground  cherry  ; 
the  sour  sheep  sorrel,  belonging  to  the  family  of  docks  ; 
the  upland  rattlesnake  weed,  with  its  little  pink  and 
purple  flowers  ;  lobelia,  or  Indian  tobacco ;  the  fetid 
skunk  cabbage  ;  the  common  nettle ;  and  the  rosin  or 
compass  plant — so  called  because  the  leaves  generally 


NATIVE    GRASSES.  427 

stood  north  and  south.  There  are  two  kinds  ;  one, 
broad  leaf  and  smooth  stem,  and  the  other,  narrow  leaf 
and  fuzzy  stera ;  but  the  boys  can  get  their  chewing 
gum  from  either.  Among  the  prairie  flowers  now  rarely 
seen  was  the  cup  flower,  that  did  not  bloom  until  frost 
came. 

GRASSES. 

Our  prairie  grass  is  made  up  of  many  different  kinds, 
all  of  which  have  been  enumerated  by  botanists,  but  as 
most  of  them  have  no  common  names  thev  would  not  be 
interesting  reading.  The  botanical  names,  however,  are 
well  worth  learning,  and  indeed  are  necessary  to  be 
learned  if  one  has  a  desire  to  know  what  is  around  him. 
It  is  not  difficult.  Let  the  work  of  collecting  and  of 
learning  the  names  of  the  collection  go  on  together. 
The  specimens  throw  light  on  the  text  book,  and  the  text 
book  throws  light  on  the  specimens,  and  in  the  double 
reflection  the  subject  grows  more  and  more  interesting 
and  absorbing  every  day.  But  for  such  use  if  you  buy 
a  book,  get  a  complete  manual,  whatever  the  science  may 
be.  If  you  are  through  school  and  are  busy,  you  will 
scracely  find  time  to  study  elementaries,  and  will  be  dis- 
appointed at  not  finding  what  you  want  in  them. 

Red  top  grass  and  blue  joint  are  our  most  valuable 
native  grasses.  There  are  also  meadow  grass,  yard 
grass,  agrostis,  &c.  Herds  grass,  orchard  grass  and  blue 
grass  have  been  imported.  Rye  grass,  spear  grass,  white 
grass,  and  others,  are  natives,  but  coarse  and  tall.  Knot 
or  couch  grass,  tickle  grass,  darnel,  canary  grass,  cord 
grass,  and  chess,  are  noxious  weeds.  The  seeds  of  the 
last  make  flour  blue.     A  number  of  sedge  grasses  grow 


428  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

about  ponds  and  sloughs.     There  are  in  Illinois  about 
one  hundred  species  each  of  upland  and  slough  grasses. 

FLOWERLESS    PLANTS. 

These  are  (] )  Ferns,  of  which  there  are  some  thirty 
or  forty  species  in  this  county.  They  are  all  small ;  are 
found  in  humid  soil  in  the  groves,  and  a  few  are  parasites. 

(2)  Mosses,  with  stem  and  roots.  There  are  many 
species.  They  abound  in  meadows  and  pastures,  and 
sometimes  stock  will  eat  them.  The  reindeer  lives 
on  them.  They  help  to  fill  up  bogs,  protect  the  roots  of 
plants  from  the  cold,  and  do  many  other  kind  offices. 

(3)  Lichens,  without  stem  or  leaves,  merely  an  aggre- 
gation of  vegetable  cells.  They  appear  as  spots  on  trees 
and  stones,  and  stains  on  old  walls.  They  are  the  com- 
mencement of  vegetation. 

(4)  Fungi,  the  scavengers  of  the  vegetable  world. 
Mushrooms  and  toadstools  come  under  this  head,  but 
with  them  we  take  leave  of  the  larger  plants,  and  plunge 
into  the  apparently  endless  microscopic  avenues  of 
diminutive  vegetation,  leading  us  to  molds,  mildews,  &c. 

The  molds  are  minute  fungi,  like  patches  of  fine  cob- 
web. The  mildews  are  yet  a  little  lower  in  the  scale,  as 
the  white  mold  on  leaves,  &c.  Then  follow  smut,  rust, 
blight,  and  other  diseases  that  vegetation  is  heir  to.  The 
fungi  are  in  their  sphere  what  the  vultures  and  wolves 
are  in  theirs ;  they  prey  fiercely  on  everything  that  has 
not  life  enough  to  resist.  And  so  the  record  of  our 
county  possessions  begins  with  the  seen  and  passes  into 
the  unseen,  and  we  leave  off  with  kingdoms  before  us  as 
extensive  as  the  kingdoms  we  have  left  behind  us. 

Acknowledgements   are  due  to  Hon.  J.  D.  Caton,  Ot- 


CLOSING   CHAPTER.  429 

tawa ;  A.  M.  Ebersol,  Floral  Home,  near  Ottawa ; 
John  F.  and  George  H.  Steward,  Piano  ;  and  C.  A. 
Freeman,  M.  D.,  Newark,  for  materials  for  this  and 
the  preceding  chapter.  J.  F.  Steward  has  made  a  nearly 
complete  collection  of  the  ferns  of  this  county,  and  G. 
H.  Steward  the  same  of  our  birds;  while  each  has  a 
large  geological  collection,  illustrating  every  period  in 
the  history  of  the  earth. 


CHAPTER   LVII 


FAREWELL. 


N  THE  history  of  this,  as  of  other  rural 
counties  of  the  west,  there  have  been  four 
well-marked  stages  :  First,  the  wide  wil- 
derness, with  solitary  cabins  here  and  there 
on  the  sheltered  sides  of  the  groves,  and 
the  occupants  toiling  at  vast  disadvantage 
to  obtain  the  necessaries  of  life.  •  Second, 
the  era  of  claim  speculation;  the  groves 
encircled  with  clearings,  and  occasional  shanties  far  out 
on  the  prairie  ;  men  with  a  little  ready  money  roving 
about  in  search  of  bargains,  and  settlers  without 
money  holding  on  with  a  tight  grip  and  struggling  hard 
to  retain  their  rudely  fenced  lands.  Third,  the  era  of 
rented  farms.      Most  of  the  intermediate  lands  between 


430  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

the  original  claims,  as  well  as  many  of  the  claims  them- 
selves, were  purchased  and  held  by  non-residents  and 
tilled  by  farmers  not  in  the  country  early  enough  to  take 
up  farms,  and  not  wealthy  enough  to  buy  them.  The 
usual  terms  were  for  the  tenant  to  give  one-third  of  the 
crop.  It  was  a  time  of  hard  work  and  slow  progress. 
But  about  the  time  of  the  coming  in  of  the  railroads, 
produce  increased  in  value,  and  cash  rents  were  common, 
and  then  we  began  to  enter  upon  :  Fourth,  the  present 
era  of  independent  farmers  ;  most  of  them  owning  the 
soil  they  cultivate.  The  struggles  for  existence  are  over, 
and  we  are  freed  from  the  pioneer  strivings  for  bread  ; 
but  only  that  we  may  strive  in 

A  HIGHER  SPHERE. 

When  a  man  is  paying  for  his  farm,  all  the  members 
of  his  body  must  work.  Eyes,  hands,  feet,  thoughts,  all 
must  work  for  the  great  object  of  securing  a  home.  But 
the  home  once  secured  and  rendered  comfortable,  eyes, 
hands,  feet  and  thoughts  have  leisure  for  other  and  better 
things. 

So  it  is  with  the  members  of  society  as  with  the  mem- 
bers of  the  man.  We  begin  where  our  fathers  ended.  We 
must  end  where  we  desire  the  generation  following  to 
begin.  To  follow  the  lead  of  covetousness,  and  strive 
to  add  house  to  house,  or  field  to  field,  is  but  to  tread 
over  again  with  less  cause  the  steps  our  fathers  trod,  and 
our  labor  does  not  count.  We  are  doing  pioneer  work  with- 
out the  pioneer  necessity.  Every  man  should  ask  him- 
self the  question,  looking  it  squarely  in  the  face  ;  "  For 
what  purpose  am   I  released  from  pioneer  struggles?" 


FAREWELL    REMARKS.  431 

And  the  correct  answer  will  be :  "  That  I  may  have 
the  more  leisure  for 

DEVELOPMENT   OF   MIND, 

in  which  alone  is  true  progress  and  true  greatness  " 
Education  is  not  merely  a  preparation  for  life — it  is  the 
business  of  life.  What  one  has  learned  in  school  in 
boyhood  are  the  intellectual  tools  which  should  make  his 
life  a  continual  progress  in  learning  and  practical  wis- 
dom. Mr.  Mill  says  :  ''All  through  life  it  is  our  most 
pressing  interest  to  find  out  the  truth  about  all  the  mat- 
ters we  are  concerned  with.  If  we  are  farmers,  we  want 
to  find  what  will  truly  improve  our  soil ;  if  merchants, 
what  will  truly  influence  the  markets  of  our  commodi- 
ties ;  if  judges  or  jurymen,  who  it  was  that  truly  did  an 
unlawful  act,  or  to  whom  a  disputed  right  truly  belongs. 
Every  time  we  have  to  make  a  new  resolution,  or  alter 
an  old  one,  in  any  situation  in  life,  we  shall  go  wrong 
unless  we  know  the  truth  about  the  facts  on  which  our 
resolution  depends." 

To  this  agrees  the  Scripture  :  "  It  is  the  glory  of  God 
to  conceal  a  thing,  but  the  honor  of  kings  is  to  search 
out  a  matter."  And  again  :  ''If  the  iron  be  blunt  and 
he  do  not  whet  the  edge,  then  must  he  put  to  more 
strength  ;  but  wisdom  is  profitable  to  direct."  This  is 
true  science.  It  consists,  as  Mill  again  says,  "  in  doing 
well  what  all  of  us,  during  the  whole  of  life,  are  engaged 
in  doing,  for  the  most  part  badly."     It  is 

EXACT    KNOWLEDGE, 

acquired  by  close  observation,  careful  study  and  steady 
thought,  in  distinction  from  the  shrewd  surface  knowl- 


432  HISTORY    OF    KENDALL    COUNTY. 

edge  which  the  first  settlers  in  a  new  country  have  time 
to  gather.  It  is  not  our  province  to  grind  out  a  daily 
task  of  toil,  like  Samson,  with  closed  eyes  ;  nor  to  look 
at  the  heavens  and  the  earth  as  we  do  at  a  menagerie, 
from  behind  grated  fences.  But  it  is  our  province  to 
know.  To  ask  continually :  What  is  this  r  Why  is  this  ? 
How  is  this  ?  to  hear  every  fresh  subject  demanding  of 
us  that  we  gain  clear  ideas  and  true  ideas  about  it.  We 
shall  not  find  perfect  knowledge,  but  we  shall  find 
strength  of  character  and  love  of  truth.  Prof.  Faraday 
says  :  *'  Such  a  man,  though  he  may  think  more  humbly 
of  his  own  character,  will  find  himself  at  every  step  of 
his  progress  more  sought  for  than  before,  more  trusted 
with  responsibility,  and  held  in  pre-eminence  by  his 
equals,  and  more  highly  valued  by  those  whom  he,  him- 
self, will  esteem  worthy  of  approbation." 

Again,  in  so  far  as  we  make  honesty  of  character  and 
ability  of  mind,  instead  of  possession  of  property,  the 
goal  we  aim  at,  w^e  shall  drain  that  quagmire  of  national 
corruption  of  which  we  have  heard  so  much.  There  is 
in  society  a  secret  respect  for  wealth,  however  gotten  ;  a 
feeling  that  the  man  who  is  rich  is  more  to  be  respected 
than  the  man  who  is  poor,  though  both  be  equally  dis- 
honest. 

Social  display  and  wealth  to  support  it,  is  regarded  as 
an  indispensable  part  of  first  society,  and  it  follows  that 
the  desire  being  accounted  right,  the  gratification  of  it 
will  not  be  wholly  condemned.  But  we  must  remember 
that  the  desire  is  wrong,  and  that  it  springs  from  the 
great  central  error  of  supposing  that  we  have  the  same 
work  to  do  that  our  fathers  had,  viz.,  to  gather  property, 


FAREWELL    REMARKS.  433 

and    that  our  social  standing  is  guaged  on  that  scale. 

The  error  is  a  trap  of  Satan,  and  there  will  always  be 

enough  to  fall  into 

Satan's  traps 

as  long  as  we  put  the  value  on  the  bait.  We  shall  never 
avoid  the  crop  as  long  as  we  supply  the  seed.  We  ought 
to  teach  this  truth  everywhere.  It  is  our  mission — our 
country's  mission.  There  is  no  true  reason  why  our 
ambassadors  to  foreign  courts  should  need  seventeen 
thousand  dollars  a  year  to  compete  in  style  with  mon- 
archies whose  business  it  has  been  for  ages  to  blind  their 
people  with  a  show  of  splendor.  Republics  are  to  take 
care  of  the  people's  money  ;  monarchies  spend  it — there 
is  the  difference.  And  we  ought  to  be  true  to  our  mis- 
sion. 

The  social  influence  of  this  country  ought  not  to  com- 
pel the  public  servant  with  five  thousand  dollars  a  year 
to  feel  humiliated  until  he  can  steal  five  thousand  dollars 
more  to  be  on  a  level  with  his  neighbors  of  ten  thousand 
dollars.  But  that  is  what  it  does  do,  and  declares  it, 
too,  so  that  one  reason  for  giving  large  salaries  is  that 
the  officials  cannot  otherwise  live  in  the  style  required  of 
them  !  And  yet  we  are  a  Republic,  and  Republican 
simplicity  is  part  of  our  inheritance  from  our  fathers. 
Let  us  give  heed  to  it.  Every  man  who  is  released  from 
the  sod  plow  and  the  grubbing  hoe  is  released  to  a 
nobler  toil.  Let  him  remember  it.  Official  corruption 
will  perish  so  soon  as  that  secret  approbation  which  is 
the  breath  of  its  life  is  taken  away  ;  while  it  has 
breath  it  will  live.  Then  for  our  own  sakes  and  our 
country's  sake  let  us  remember  that  the  acquisition  of 


434  HISTORY   OF    KENDALL   COUNTY. 

the  truth  about  all  things  is  our  business  in  life,  and 
obedience  to  the  truth  in  all  things  is  our  rule  of  life. 

Our  fathers  have  done  what  they  could,  and  are  gone. 
The  claims  they  staked  are  cultivated  farms  ;  the  fields 
they  fenced  with  rails  are  enclosed  with  boards  or  living 
hedge ;  the  cabins  they  erected  have  given  place  to 
prouder  residences.  The  slab-floored  school  house  and 
log  church  have  shrunk  out  of  sight  as  two-storied  acad- 
emies and  spired  temples  have  risen  by  their  side.  All 
this  is  right, — we  have  perfected  our  inheritance.  But 
let  us  stop  here,  and  not  create  new  necessities  out  of 
our  own  pride.  Our  fathers  have  labored  in  vain,  if 
what  they  left  us  not  only  absorbed  their  energies,  but 
shall  absorb  ours  also.  And  not  less  will  they  have 
labored  in  vain  if  our  energies,  released  by  their  efforts 
from  the  stern  necessity  of  pioneer-  toil,  shall  be  given  to 
vanity  and  outward  glitter — leaving  to  ourselves  but 
the  ashes  of  a  wasted  life,  and  to  others  the  poison  of  a 
pernicious  example.  But  it  is  our  favored  lot  to  be  the 
pioneers  in 

A  WIDER  LIFE  ; 

to  lay  the  foundations  for  a  noble  future.  Happy  is  the 
man  of  the  observing  mind,  who  labors  for  intelligence, 
as  his  forefathers  labored  for  land,  and  helps  to  make 
truth  and  character  as  prominent  in  this  generation  as 
the  claim  fence  and  log  cabin  were  in  the  generation  past. 
The  true  development  of  mind, — this  is  our  work ;  and 
let  me  add,  the  worship  of  the  heart, — this  is  our  rest. 
For  I  do  desire  that  all  who  have  been  my  readers,  and 
whom  I  have  helped  to  pass,  it  may  be,  a  pleasant  hour, 
shall   not  only  conquer  the  world  that  now  is,  but  win 


CONCLUSION.  435 

the  blessed  world  that  is  to  come.    As  the  homely  Scotch 
song  has  it : 

"  I  never  grasp  a  friendly  hand, 
■  In  greeting  or -farewell, 
But  thoughts  of  an  eternal  home 

Within  my  bosom  swell  ; 
A  prayer  to  meet  in  heaven  at  last, 

Where  all  the  ransomed  come. 
And  where  eternal  ages  still 
Shall  find  us  all  at  home." 


THE  END. 


BUS/I\/ESS  MOT  ICES. 


NEWARK. 


JOHN  A.  COY — Dry  goods,  ready  made  clothing,  notions,  hats 
and  caps,  boots  and  shoes,  groceries,  &c,  I  claim  to  have  the  largest 
stock  of  goods  in  Kendall  county. 


HUNGER  BROTHERS— Drugs,  medicines,  chemicals,  paints, 
oils,  toilet  articles,  perfumery,  books  and  stationery.  Special  atten- 
tion paid  to  prescriptions.  Our  store  is  well  known,  and  our  stock 
complete  and  genuine. 


CHARLES  F.  THUNEMAN— Drugs,  medicines,  paints,  oils, 
perfumery,  &c.  Books  and  stationery.  Also  a  full  line  of  staple  gro- 
ceries and  family  supplies.  I  keep  none  but  first  quality  goods,  at 
prices  as  low  as  the  lowest. 

THUNEMAN  BROTHERS— Successors  to  F.  R.  Thuneman— 
Hardware,  stoves,  nails,  tinware,  builders'  supplies  and  agricultural 
implements.  We  aim  to  keep  a  hardware  headquarters  where  pur- 
chasers can  find  any  article  they  may  want  in  our  line. 


H.  K.  THUNEMAN— Watchmaker  and  jeweler.  A  full  line  of 
watches,  clocks,  jewelry  and  silverware.  Repairing  neatly  done,  and 
all  work  warranted. 


OSMOND  &  WILLIAMS— Dry  goods,  boots  and  shoes,  hats  and 
caps,  notions  and  groceries.  We  also  make  a  specialty  of  ready  made 
clothing. 

WILBERT  HOLLENBACK— Meat  market  and  provision  store. 


JAMES  H.  W^IIITE— Barber  and  hair-dressei 


BUSINESS    NOTICES.  437 

SAMUEL  BINGHAM— First-class  boot  and  shoe  store.     Thirty- 
three  years  in  Newark. 


C.  A.  FREEMAN,  M.  D. — Physician  and  surgeon.     Special  atten- 
tion paid  to  surgical  cases. 


W.  H.  FRENCH,  M.  D.— Physician  and  surgeon. 


J.  H.  FOWLER — Attorney  at  Law.     All  legal  business  attended 
to  promptly. 


FOWLER  INSTITUTE— J.  P.  Ellinwood,  Principal.     Instruc- 
tion first-class. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  GALLERY— R.  W.  Elliott,  Artist.     Pictures 
taken  in  fair  or  cloudy  weather. 


YORKVILLE. 

F.  M.  HOBBS — Dealer  in  dry  goods,  clothing,  groceries,  boots  and 
shoes,  notions  and  general  merchandise. 


G.  W.  ERNST — Dealer  in  lumber,  doors  and  sash  at  factory  prices. 
Also  hard  and  soft  coal.     Police  Magistrate  and  Justice  of  the  Peace. 


KENDALL  COUNTY  RECORD— J.  R.  Marshall,  proprietor. 
Established  1864.  Circulation,  15 12  weekly.  Job  printing  done  on 
short  notice. 


HAIGH  BROTHERS — Hardware  and  agricultural  implements. 
We  aim  to  keep  a  general  supply  of  everything  wanted  in  our  line, 
and  at  lowest  prices. 


JOHN  A.  GILLIAM — Attorney  and  Counsellor  at  Law. 


RANDALL  CASSEM— Attorney    and    Counsellor  at  Law.     All 
business  promptly  attended  to. 


WM.   LONG — Tonsorial  artist.      Ladies'  and  children's  hair  cut- 
ting, &c. 


438  BUSINESS    NOTICES. 

PLAisro. 

PLANO  NEWS— R.  M.  &  Callie  D.  M.  Springer,  proprietors. 
An  Independent  newspaper,  $1.50  per  year.  All  kinds  of  job  print- 
ing neatly  and  promptly  done. 


DR.  F.  H.  LORD — Dealer  in  drugs  and  medicines. 


DAVID  COOK,  M.  D.— Physician  and  surgeon. 


L.    O.    LATHROP — Dealer   in   hardware,    tinware,    stoves    and 
crockery. 


E.  WINANS — Dealer  in  groceries,  crockery  and  glassware. 


L.  F.  HEMENWAY — Breeder  of  pure  Berkshire  swine. 


OSWEGO. 

L.    N.    HALL — Druggist    and    bookseller.       Established     April 
20th,  T865. 


D.  M.  HAIGHT — Dealer  in  dry  goods,  groceries,  boots  and  shoes, 
clothing,  hats  and  caps,  crockery,  &c.     Cash  paid  for  produce. 


WM.  T.   PUTT — Eclectic  physician.     Practice   established  June 
4th,  1874.     Special  attention  to  general  practice. 


milli:n^gton. 

MILLINGTON     ENTERPRISE— Jud.    R.    Marley,    publisher. 
Job  printing  done  at  lowest  prices. 


S.   E.   FOSTER — Drugs  and  medicines,  paints,  oils,  &c. 


T.  SERRINE — Dealer  in  lumber,  sash,  blinds,  doors,  pumps,  drain 
tile,  hard  and  soft  coal. 


m 


